S2 Ep 2 | CX Insider: Uncle Ken on the Experience of Experience
Angus, Pete, and the highly experienced Uncle Ken, provide a sharp critique of the current state of the CX and Contact Centre industry. The key takeaway is that the constant "noise and burbling about artificial intelligence" is causing fragmentation and distracting the industry from crucial basics. The hosts and Ken conclude that high turnover among contact centre managers, combined with sellers who have lost foundational knowledge, necessitates an urgent re-education process across the industry.
Here are the concise takeaways:
• Boomers Are Not Anti-Digital: Older customers (boomers) are highly digital. If they use the telephone, it's because they are "unforgiving" and frustrated by digital channels that fail or offer bad service, proving that high expectations drive channel choice, not age.
• AI Hype Focuses on Costs: AI implementations are often "siloed" and appear primarily driven by achieving "cost cutting and efficiency" for the business, rather than delivering actual benefits or a better experience for the customer.
• Don't Automate the Mess: The hype around AI has "hijacked the finishing off of the digital first story". Implementing AI before sorting out basic digital channels and data only results in technology being "very analytical and very automatic with the mess that you've already got," which makes things worse.
• Outbound Tech Remains Valuable: While outbound calling (just dialing a list of people) is "dying on its feet," the underlying technology remains highly useful for improving customer experience (CX) and efficiency. Examples include using call-back systems (like Qbuster) or sending pre-call texts to alert customers to an incoming call.
• Seller Knowledge Deficit: The industry suffers from a lack of fundamental knowledge, exacerbated by contact centre manager tenure decreasing to about 2.5 years. Sellers who claim to be experts are often "not worthy of the badge" and must step up to educate buyers and "sense-check" RFPs.
• Measure the Fundamentals: Sellers must be able to understand and apply basic contact centre mathematics, such as Erlang for voice and Little's law for digital channels, to accurately build Return on Investment (ROI) models. New technology will "fail" the consumer if it is not developed with the fundamental ability to "measure and manage what's going on".
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S2 Ep 1 | Here We Go Again! A is for . . .
Welcome back to The Angus and Pete Show for Series 2.
Angus and Pete tackle "A is for Adoption" in this episode. Everyone's building or buying contact center tech, but driving user adoption is the hard part. They discuss why many deployments fail: it’s not just tech, it’s organizational change, managerial vision, and employee willingness. We need to focus on Time to Value (TtV), which means delivering tangible business benefits quickly. The job starts, not finishes, at deployment. And remember, you must tell the users what’s in it for them. They also explore key paradoxes like the required hybrid approach to automation versus human touch.
Key Takeaways
Adoption is now a *strategic business imperative*, not just a function you tack on at the end of a project.
When deploying new technology, you have to prioritize *Time to Value* (TtV)—get users to an "aha moment" early on—and measure business outcomes, not just basic activities like agent logins.
Training shouldn't be a box-checking exercise; it should be *continuous education* focused on explaining the overall desired outcome and what benefit the new system offers to the people using it.
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S1 Ep 35 | S1 Recap: AI AI AI ... Oh!
In this recap, Angus and Pete look at the real story behind AI in the world of customer engagement. They discuss a study that found AI isn’t taking jobs but is creating new tasks for workers. The conversation also covers how AI is changing the way we measure customer service. It’s becoming less about speed and more about making things easy for the customer. They finish by talking about the often-overlooked costs and risks, from data quality and compliance to the environmental impact of AI.
Here are five things you will learn from the episode:
AI isn't taking jobs in customer service yet. Right now, it’s more about helping people be more effective and efficient, rather than replacing them.
Benefits depend on company support. You only see real time savings and quality improvements when employers actively train and encourage their staff to use AI as part of their daily work.
Metrics are changing. Customer experience is evolving, and new measures like customer effort score and sentiment analysis are becoming more important.
There are significant hidden costs and risks. You have to consider platform costs, implementation, data quality, compliance, and environmental impact to see the full picture.
It’s a strategic shift, not a simple tech fix. For AI to work, it requires a cultural change within the organisation. Everyone is still learning, so honest conversations are important.
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S1 Ep 34 | S1 Recap: Boardroom Blunders
In this recap of season one, Angus and Pete explore why a seemingly perfect sales proposal can get rejected at the final hurdle: the boardroom. They discuss the common pitfalls sellers face and offer a guide on how to equip your internal champions to successfully navigate the C-suite, especially the CFO.
The Champion's Dilemma: Never assume your internal champion can effectively sell your solution to their board. Buyers often have little to no experience presenting business cases, so as a seller, it's crucial to coach and prepare them. Consider working with multiple champions to get a triangulated view of the organisation's priorities.
Speak the Board's Language: Executives are laser-focused on the bottom line and want absolute clarity. The pitch must be concise, covering the problem you're solving, the cost of inaction, and your solution in simple terms. Use the company's own data to make your case, as generic case studies won't resonate.
Know Your Audience: Understand the different priorities within the C-suite. The CFO is focused on financial impact and investment, while the CEO cares more about strategic alignment. Be aware of other influencers, including non-executive directors who may sit on multiple boards.
Master the Financials: For the CFO, price isn't everything; being the cheapest can even be a red flag. Your champion must be prepared to discuss Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), payback periods (ideally under three years), and potential bill shock from usage-based models. Be precise with financial terms like ROI versus cost savings.
Address Risk Head-On: Boards are risk-averse, so proactively address financial, operational, and execution risks. Remember to factor in opportunity cost—what the business can't do if it chooses your project. Emphasise how your solution minimises both business risk and the personal risk to board members' reputations.
Prepare and Role-Play: Support your champions by helping them prepare a concise, one-page summary of the business case. Role-play the board presentation with them to build confidence and anticipate objections like "it's too expensive" or "the current system is fine". This preparation ensures they can deliver a quick, punchy, and compelling message.
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S1 Ep 33 | S1 Recap: The Great Analyst Debate
We revisit our conversations on customer engagement, CX, and industry analysts. We focus the first of our CX Insider guests, Steve, a former Gartner analyst. He shared his views on the real purpose of analysts, the work behind Magic Quadrants, and how analyst events have changed. Steve's "three wishes" give great advice for the CX industry and beyond. We reinforce that bringing people and operations together is vital for seamless customer journeys.
Here are three things we learned:
Analysts, especially at big firms like Gartner, primarily focus on helping end-user clients spend their money wisely, not just serving vendors.
Creating seamless customer journeys depends on the convergence of people and operations. Technology isn't the main blocker; internal silos and personal agendas are.
Industry reports, such as Gartner's Magic Quadrant, are often out of date by the time they are published. The lengthy production process means they can be "ancient history" in today's fast-moving market.
The Ultimate Podcast for Call Center, Contact Center & Customer Experience Professionals.
Looking to stay ahead in the world of call centers, contact centers, and customer experience (CX)? Join industry veterans Angus Peacey and Pete Brown as they dive deep into the technology supply and buy chain that powers customer engagement and service.
From CX software vendors to resellers, analysts, consultants, and end users, we uncover the real challenges, motivators, and trends shaping the industry. Whether you’re a seller looking to sell smarter or a buyer aiming to make informed decisions, this podcast gives you insider insights to navigate the evolving tech sales and buyer landscape.
Tune in and transform the way you approach selling or buying CX technology!
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