The Contact Center Gurus

Jim Murphy, CEO and co-founder of BroadVoice with 30+ years in communications, built ISPs and scaled global CCaaS. He breaks down the true cost of fragmented contact stacks. He recounts a healthcare consolidation that unified patient journeys. He warns against slapping AI onto disconnected systems and outlines why BPOs must shift to outcome-based models to win.

Wayne Butterfield, founder of STX-AI with 15+ years guiding AI and automation programs. He talks about why buying AI is just the start. He explores post-deployment scaffolding, treating AI as a capability, design-versus-cost tradeoffs, agentic APIs replacing brittle GUI automation, and when industries should realistically adopt agentic AI.

Adam Fenwick, SVP of Global Alliances at Boost.ai, explores the intricacies of conversational AI in contact centers. He highlights common pitfalls like rushing deployments and inadequate conversation design that lead to failures. Adam advocates for a strategic, multi-channel AI approach and discusses the importance of balancing generative models with accuracy. He shares success stories from telecom and healthcare, showcasing significant ROI and improved customer satisfaction through well-designed virtual agents. His key takeaways emphasize thorough planning and vendor diligence for optimal outcomes.

Guest: Tyler Dixon, SVP of Sales at LiveProHost: Darren Prine — The Contact Center Gurus PodcastConnect with us:Website: https://cloudtechgurus.com/YouTube: The Contact Center Gurus Podcast Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.

Dan O’Connell, CEO of Front and a seasoned AI and customer operations expert, discusses the crucial balance between automation and human interaction in customer support. He emphasizes the importance of using AI to handle routine tasks while leaving complex customer interactions to humans. Dan highlights the advantages of unified customer operation platforms, including improved collaboration through shared inboxes. He advocates for starting small with automation to enhance, not replace, customer relationships, ensuring efficient service without losing the human touch.

Can analytics turn your contact center from a cost center into a driver of revenue and loyalty?In this conversation, Darren Prine and Jim Iyoob explore the new era of QA, one that’s powered by AI, data, and predictive insights.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why QA must evolve from checking boxes to changing behaviorsHow predictive coaching helps agents improve before they failWhat happens when analytics connect performance to outcomesHow the right QA solution delivers measurable ROI and customer loyaltyWhy data security and trust are essential in modern CX💡 About Jim Iyoob:President of ETS Labs and Chief Customer Officer at Etech Global Services– 35+ years of contact center leadership– Creator of QEval, an AI-powered QA and coaching platform– Co-author of 5 industry books– Oversees operations managing 1B+ customer interactions annually🎧 Subscribe to The Contact Center Gurus Podcast for more insights from CX innovators. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.

What happens when AI meets the human side of customer experience?In this episode, we discuss:How to break down silos across voice, email, chat, and socialWhere AI is making the biggest impact today (agent assist, routing, analytics)Why balancing automation with empathy is the real differentiatorHow CX leaders can shift from cost centers to revenue driversHidden costs of tech sprawl and the smarter way forwardWhy security and compliance can make or break CX💡 Pat Reetz, Chief Growth Officer at LinkLive, brings 20+ years of experience in product, marketing, and digital transformation, shaping CX solutions in highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance.🎧 Subscribe to The Contact Center Gurus Podcast for more insights from CX innovators. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.

Host: Darren PrineGuests: Brad Garner & Aaron Symbolik (Krista)What can AI really do for enterprises right now? Spoiler: it’s far more than chatbots and hype. In this episode, we dive into real-world wins, missed opportunities, and why leaders can’t afford to “wait and see” when it comes to AI adoption.Key topics include:Enterprise-wide AI impact: beyond ChatGPTHow AI solves bottlenecks across knowledge, documents, decisions, and peopleCase Study 1: A national alarm company saving $1M+ a year on truck rollsCase Study 2: A title agency automating 9 forms for faster closingsCo-Pilot vs Autopilot: from AI assist to end-to-end automationThe “Star Trek computer” vision—is it closer than we think?Why “wait and see” on AI is a career-limiting moveROI proof: replacing 6+ FTEs with AI for less than the cost of oneGuest Bios:Brad Garner – Senior Strategist at Krista, helping organizations unlock enterprise automation and streamline operations.Aaron Symbolik – Head of Solutions at Krista, passionate about translating business needs into AI-powered wins. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.

Guest:Martin Hobratschk, CEO of Cognita Knowledge ManagementHost:Darren Prine, Cloud Tech GurusEpisode OverviewKnowledge management is often overlooked — or worse, misunderstood. Many companies think a SharePoint folder or Google Docs library is enough. In reality, these “digital landfills” slow down agents, frustrate customers, and hurt retention.In this episode, Darren speaks with Martin Hobratschk about the state of knowledge management and how it’s evolving with AI. They cover the real symptoms of broken systems, the business value of doing KM right, and practical steps leaders can take to evaluate, select, and optimize a true knowledge management system.Key TopicsThe difference between a knowledge base and a true KMSSymptoms of poor KM: repeat customer calls, long agent onboarding, siloed knowledgeThe role of KMS in remote and BPO environmentsHow AI and automation are transforming knowledge sharingWhy knowledge governance is as important as data governanceThe ROI of effective KM — from faster onboarding to higher CSATHow to evaluate readiness and select the right systemResources MentionedMartin’s Book: MVP KB: A Practical Guide for Customer Service Knowledge ManagementFree Assessment Toolkit: https://www.cognita-km.com/toolkitCognita Knowledge Management: https://www.cognita-km.comCloud Tech Gurus: https://www.cloudtechgurus.comConnect with MartinWebsite: https://www.cognita-km.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hobratschk/Connect with DarrenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenprine/Website: https://www.cloudtechgurus.com Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.

Welcome & Background – Jeofrey’s journey and why Gen Z is the focus of his new book.Why Gen Z is Changing Everything – habits, buying power, and expectations.The Importance of Trust and Peer Reviews – how Gen Z validates decisions.Customer Experience Intelligence (CXI) – using data and insights to serve Gen Z.Balancing Human Touch and AI – why this generation expects both.Workshop Preview – frameworks and takeaways from the Next Generation CX Workshop.Final Thoughts & Calls to Action – Jeofrey’s three key takeaways.Resources Mentioned:Next Generation Customer Experience Workshop: https://bit.ly/NexGenCXFLDel Mar Research: https://delmarresearch.com/Next Generation Customer Experience (Book by Jeofrey Bean): https://a.co/d/5jdqTe2Connect with the Guests:Jeofrey Bean – LinkedIn | WebsiteDarren Prine – LinkedIn | Cloud Tech Gurus Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders.