CX Gurus

By Jessica Voss, Darren Prine, Fred Stacey

We didn't study contact centers. We ran them.

CX Gurus goes inside the enterprise contact center with the operators who've lived it — from 500-seat teams to 10,000+ global BPOs. Each week, host Darre... more

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FAQs about CX Gurus:

How many episodes does CX Gurus have?

The podcast currently has 41 episodes available.

CX Gurus episodes:

August 10, 2026From Agent to CEO — Gina Gibson on Matching the Right Tech to the Right Problem
Gina Gibson — CEO of Think Forward and host of The Tech Matchmaker podcast — has led digital transformations for organizations ranging from 50 to 45,000 agents. In this episode she shares her journey from agent to CEO and her vendor-agnostic playbook for future-proofing the contact center.
In this episode:
Gina's origin story: from frontline agent to CEO

The vendor-agnostic approach to matching tech to the actual problem

Future-proofing the contact center without losing the human element

Leading transformations from 50 to 45,000 agents

Making technology work better for the people behind it
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 7min
August 10, 2026Why People Disengage at Work — Justin Robbins on Rebuilding Trust in CX
Justin Robbins is a thought leader in customer experience with a human-centric approach to workplace engagement and over two decades in CX operations and leadership. He joins Fred to unpack why disengagement happens at work — and the practical moves leaders can make to restore trust and motivation.
In this episode:
Justin's origin story and the paper-route lesson in honoring preferences

Why disengagement actually happens

Removing the friction points that frustrate agents

Using technology to support — not replace — human connection

The leader's role in engagement, and why continuous learning matters
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 2min
August 10, 2026From Check Authorizations to AI ROI — Laura Zegar on 27 Years in CX
Laura K. Zegar is founder of Quantum CX, a customer service and customer experience consulting practice specializing in contact center transformation. Formerly VP of contact center and CX oversight at Bank of America and an Accenture management consultant, Laura got her start in 1999 in Equifax's check-authorization department — and 27 years later she's helping contact centers maximize AI and automation ROI.
In this episode:
Laura's origin story: from approving checks at Equifax in 1999 to founding Quantum CX

Maximizing AI and automation investment ROI

Streamlining omni-channel efficiency

Reducing agent attrition through a high-quality employee experience

A 27-year view of what's changed in the contact center — and what hasn't
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 6min
August 10, 2026From Crisis Line to Call Center QA — Lorne Wood on Fixing What Technology Can't
Episode Notes: Lorne Wood, founder and managing director of Better Call Center QA, brings over 30 years in contact center quality assurance and BPO. His career began on an evening-shift suicide crisis line — and the lessons he learned there about helping people over the phone have shaped a no-nonsense approach to fixing what technology alone can't.
In this episode:
Lorne's origin story: crisis line → outbound telemarketing → building a 300-seat center from scratch

Why tech alone can't fix leadership gaps and cultural drift

Building QA programs that actually move the needle

Tackling attrition, compliance headaches, and coaching on the floor

The three lessons from the crisis line that never left him
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 1min
August 10, 2026Where Performance Meets Fun — Cynthia Carrese on Building Cultures That Work
Cynthia Carrese is Founder and Managing Director of C2 Strategic Partners, a customer success and leadership strategist who turns contact and sales centers into places where performance and fun go hand in hand. With a career spanning Fortune 500 powerhouses and fast-moving startups, she scales operations, boosts KPIs, and builds cultures that inspire.
In this episode:
Cynthia's origin story across Fortune 500s and startups

Scaling operations without burning out teams

Boosting KPIs while keeping the work enjoyable

Culture as a genuine performance driver

Developing strong leaders and relationships that stick
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 5min
August 10, 2026The Power of Connection: Valerie McSorley on People-First CX and Communities That Thrive
Valerie McSorley is an award-winning producer, podcast host, and networking expert with deep roots in the contact center and customer experience industry. Over 25+ years she's turned relationships into results — and she joins Fred to talk about connection as a strategy, not a soft skill.
In this episode:
Valerie's origin story and 25+ years of building communities

Why connection is a strategy, not a soft skill

A human-centered approach to contact center performance

Building culture where every voice matters

Leading with authenticity — and helping others "bee" their best self
Connect with Valerie: https://www.valeriemcsorley.com |

Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 5min
August 10, 202630 Years of Fixing Contact Centers: Shellie Plymale on Doing CX the Right Way
Shellie Plymale, CEO of Plymale Enterprise Group, brings over 30 years of experience transforming contact center operations — from omni-channel strategy to performance optimization. With a Six Sigma background and APAC leadership on NICE CXone, she delivers high-impact, vendor-agnostic solutions.
In this episode:
Shellie's origin story and 30-year path

Applying Six Sigma discipline to CX and EX

Omni-channel strategy that actually works

Global and APAC consulting, including NICE CXone

Why employee experience and customer experience rise or fall together
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
1h 5min
July 16, 2026 What If Your Contact Center Was Perfectly Staffed - Every Hour, Every Day?
Every contact center leader makes the same bad bet every morning: overstaff and burn labor, or understaff and burn your CX. The traditional 8-hour shift was built for a world that no longer exists.
In this episode, host Darren Prine sits down with **Jon Brown, SVP of Client Results at LiveOps**, to break down **precision staffing** — a flexible, on-demand model that schedules agents in 30-minute intervals matched to real call flow instead of a forecast.
What we get into:
- Why traditional and part-time shift models fail at almost every point in the demand curve
- How 30-minute precision intervals put agents exactly where the calls are
- Paying only for productive time — and why that alone typically cuts staffing costs 25–30%
- Handling seasonal surges, holiday peaks, and open enrollment without burning your team into attrition
- Why one flexible partner beats juggling five BPOs during a spike
- How LiveOps sources specialized, brand-passionate talent that performs like full-timers
- Real ROI: the COVID surge scaled to thousands of agents in 72 hours, plus higher upsell and lower attrition
If scheduling is a constant headache on your team, this one's worth your time.

See how precision staffing works → https://cloudtechgurus.com/gigcx
Subscribe on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@thecontactcenterguruspodcast
Watch this episode → https://youtu.be/qLooYXE-Sw8

Guest: Jon Brown, SVP of Client Results, LiveOps (liveops.com)
Host: Darren Prine, Cloud Tech Gurus
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
44min
June 18, 2026Escape the AI Graveyard: Why Most Bots Fail & How to Build AI That Actually Resolves
Every contact center has an AI graveyard. Failed chatbots. Pilots that never scaled. The root cause is almost never the technology — it's a lack of AI readiness, unclear use cases, and AI that was built to respond rather than resolve.
In Episode 5 of the Contact Center Gurus Podcast, host Darren Prine is joined by Mike Schulman, VP of Channel Sales at Yellow.ai, for a no-hype breakdown of what separates the AI implementations that work from the ones that get shut down.
Mike has been in the room for over 1,100 enterprise AI deployments across 85+ countries. He knows exactly where the line is.
What they cover:
Why 60–70% of companies aren't even at AI readiness level one yet — and what that means before you evaluate any vendor

The difference between generative AI and agentic AI, and why most vendors are using the term "agentic" incorrectly

Why AI resolution rates went from 5% in 2022 to 60–80% today — and where they're headed in the next two years

The "build once, deploy many" approach that lets CX teams own the platform without writing a single line of code

Real case studies: Waste Connections (25,000+ monthly calls automated, $3.5–4M saved) and Feral Gas ($14.5M in net new business from end-to-end order automation)

How to pick your first use case, show ROI fast, and build from there
Key Insight: The companies winning with AI right now didn't go all in on day one. They picked one or two high-volume, repetitive use cases, showed value fast, and expanded from there. That's the playbook.
About Yellow.ai: Yellow.ai is an AI-first customer service automation platform with 1,100+ enterprise deployments across 85+ countries. Named clients include Sony, Domino's, Hyundai, Waste Connections, and Randstad.
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
58min
May 21, 2026Stop Paying for Agents. Start Paying for Outcomes. | Ft. Siddharth Victor, Movate
The BPO industry is splitting in two — commodity providers heading toward irrelevance, and transformation partners capturing all the growth.
In this episode, Darren Prine sits down with Siddharth Victor, SVP & Head of Support Services at Movate, to break down why the traditional BPO model is structurally misaligned with what clients actually need — and what the shift to outcome-based CX looks like in practice.
Sid brings 23 years of experience, starting as a tech support engineer and now leading Movate's entire CX and enterprise support sales and solutions division.
What we cover:
Why traditional BPO contracts are built to fail clients

How AI is eliminating labor arbitrage as a defensible business model

A real gaming company case study: 6% → 86% autonomous resolution, AHT cut 80%, cost per interaction down 66.5%

What outcome-based contracts actually require from both sides

The single biggest reason outsourcing engagements fail
Resources & Links:
Free research report — Transform or Become Extinct: cloudtechgur.us/BPO-MCXP
Connect with Siddharth Victor: linkedin.com/in/sid-victor-3355b73
Learn more about Movate: movate.com
Connect with Cloud Tech Gurus: cloudtechgurus.com
Produced by the Cloud Tech Gurus Team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. Visit www.cloudtechgurus.com
...more
47min

FAQs about CX Gurus:

How many episodes does CX Gurus have?

The podcast currently has 41 episodes available.