Learn in this episode:

• Why the lump of labor fallacy is fueling unnecessary fear around AI.
• How to shift your perspective from cost-saving to value-creation in support.
• The difference between official employment stats and the reality of the shadow economy.
• Why technology should never be used as a moat to block human connection.
• How to prepare your team for the inevitable transition into an AI-integrated workplace.

Dennis Wakabayashi is a global authority on customer experience and a seasoned agency strategist. Known as The Global Voice of CX, he has spent years traveling the world to understand the intersection of human behavior and the systems we use to transact while working for companies from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises and government.

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Want an AI support agent that's insanely reliable without setup headaches?

Save time and delight customers with Helpfeel's done-for-you deployment and seamless VoC-based optimization.

Join 625 leading businesses using Helpfeel to boost margin.

Learn more: https://en.helpfeel.com

Learn in this episode:

• Why the term deflection rate is actually harmful to long-term brand health.
• How to replace biased, low-response surveys with AI-driven sentiment analysis.
• The shift from reactive support to proactive AI that identifies problems before the customer does.
• Why "outsourcing your thinking" to an LLM is the biggest risk for knowledge workers today.

Ryan Klausner is a veteran CX leader with over 15 years of experience scaling mission-driven brands. From his early days saving millions for the city of Vancouver to leading global teams at Who Gives a Crap, Ryan specializes in combining human innovation with high-scale technology to drive mid-nine-figure growth.

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Give your customers AI self-service with 95% first response accuracy. Your team gets optimal results and gains time with VoC and knowledge based improvement that is done for you. Visit https://helpfeel.com/en-us to learn more.

Learn in this episode:

• Why AI is a tool for agility rather than just a replacement for headcount.
• How to transition junior associates into AI maintenance and optimization roles.
• The reality of implementing AI and the hidden work required to keep it running.
• Strategies for retaining talent by offering new technical career paths within CX.

Andrea Townsend is the Manager of Customer Support at Human Interest. With a career spanning leadership roles at 1-800-CONTACTS, Purple, and Gabb Wireless, Andrea specializes in team autonomy and process improvement. She is a vocal advocate for the frontline associate and focuses on driving results like CSAT and SLA improvements through better training and empowerment.

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Give your customers AI self-service with 95% first response accuracy. Your team gets optimal results and gains time with VoC and knowledge based improvement that is done for you. Visit https://en.helpfeel.com to learn more.

Learn in this episode:
- The math of margin: How to keep your support team at 15 people while your sales volume doubles.
- The Dog Food shampoo story: A real-world example of why AI still fails at complex human nuance.
- How to transition your support team into a proactive customer success-like function.
- Advice for junior CX leaders on how to solve problems the business hasn't identified yet.

Justin McDonnell is the Vice President of Customer Experience at Illuminator Technology Group. With a background in the US Navy and 20 years of experience in field service and operations, Justin specializes in turning fragmented departments into high-performing, data-driven teams.

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Get done-for-you AI self-service with extreme accuracy, safety, and satisfaction. And in the process, free your team to save the day.

Visit https://en.helpfeel.com to learn more.

#AI #CX #CustomerSupport #TheCXFiles

Learn in this episode:
- Why AI is often a "hindrance" rather than a "help" in customer workflows.
- How to build and train internal AI agents (like Software’s Coralline) on brand voice.
- The specific tasks AI is great at (summarization) vs. what it fails at (empathy and nuance).
- Why "prompt engineering" is a mandatory skill for 2026 leaders.
- Strategies for maintaining quality control in an automated world.

About Laura Dolan: Laura is the former Director of Digital Marketing at Loftware, with a rich background at Optimizely, Autura, and Keap (formerly Infusionsoft). With two decades of experience spanning print journalism to digital UX, she brings a unique, editorial-first perspective to the world of B2B marketing and customer experience.

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Get done-for-you AI self-service results with extreme accuracy, safety, and satisfaction. 

Visit https://en.helpfeel.com to learn more.

#AI #CX #CustomerSupport #TheCXFiles

Learn in this episode:
- How to debug root causes of CX problems like the $50 million one Zack found
- How to start speaking the language of the C-suite.
- The reason NPS is an advocacy metric and why you need a revenue metric instead.
- How the friction economy is costing brands millions.
- The reality of Agentic CX and why 85 percent of AI strategies fail.

Zack Hamilton is the creator of the Experience Performance System and author of the book by the same name. With a background leading retail experience strategy at Medallia and serving as CXO at Aaron’s, Zack specializes in eliminating insight theater and aligning CX to P&L outcomes. He is also the host of the popular podcast Unf*cking Your CX.

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Give your customers AI self-service with insanely high accuracy. You get optimal results and save time with VoC and knowledge-based improvement that is done-for-you. 

Learn more: https://en.helpfeel.com

Listen to learn:
- Why it took three years to break down data silos for support at Cisco Systems and how to avoid that mistake.
- The transition of AI from its teenage years to a college-educated, mature business function.
- How to move beyond case deflection and start measuring the financial impact of CX in dollars and euros.
- The tire sensor analogy: How to use data to solve problems before the customer even feels the friction.
- Why CX should be the central core of your organization rather than a siloed department.

Andrew Carothers is a 12-time International CX Award winner and a co-founder of the Cisco Systems customer experience organization. With a background at Autodesk and a seat on the board for the University of San Francisco’s strategic AI program, Andrew is one of the leading voices in digital customer success and AI implementation.

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Give your customers AI support with 95% first response accuracy. Get full AI optimization done for you, with clear gaps closed and improvement actions ready for your team in just 30 minutes a month. Visit https://en.helpfeel.com to learn more.

Learn in this episode:
- The myth of AI as a magic wand for support operations.
- How to separate agent performance from customer frustration with company policy.
- Why most companies hire for service but actually need retention specialists.
- The three places to find expertise when you do not have the budget for a full-time hire.
- How to move your team from being problem movers to true problem solvers.

About Ty
Ty Givens is the founder of CX Collective and a veteran support leader who has shaped the customer experience for brands like Thrive Market, Intuit, and Sees Candies. She is known for her SWAT team approach to fixing messy operations and building scalable, human-centered programs that drive growth.

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Get AI self-service with 95% first response accuracy and zero friction. Join 550+ businesses getting unparalleled efficiency. Learn more: https://en.helpfeel.com

Learn in this episode:
- The 3 Rs and 4 Es framework for modern customer experience.
- Why why we should use  the word "human" instead of "customer"
- How to transition from content to art in your support and marketing interactions.
- Strategies for breaking down departmental silos to create a symbiotic brand ecosystem.
- How Dayv’s background as a professional BMX athlete shaped his unbiased, empathetic approach to CX.

Dayv Wilson-Widdecombe is the Account Director of Customer Experience at GSD&M. With over 20 years of experience across creative, operations, and account management, Dayv has built customer journeys reaching over 15 million people annually for some of the world's most iconic brands. He is a specialist in cross-functional team leadership and emotional brand alignment.

Give your customers AI self-service with 95% first response accuracy. Your team gets optimal results and gains time with VoC and knowledge-based improvement that's done for you. Visit https://helpfeel.com/en-us to learn more.

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575+ leading businesses choose Helpfeel for a 50% reduction in tickets over their existing AI self-service vendor while increasing lifetime value and generating average of 2.5X ROI.

You can save dozens of hours per month on the most painful parts of AI self-service with Helpfeel. Your whole org and customer base can be doing more valuable activities with our new breed of AI Agents, Search, and Knowledge Base with hands-on optimization service included. 


Learn more, book a demo, or watch a 2 minute video: https://www.helpfeel.com/en/

Explore the rapid evolution of the customer support career path at all levels and the future of these roles in the context of AI adoption.

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Jen Weaver has 10+ years of experience in SaaS Customer Support and Success. She was the second support hire at YNAB (You Need A Budget), helping scale the team to over 70 people. She is currently a Customer Success Manager at On-Ramp, a podcast host, and curator of CX podcasts.
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Jen discusses the critical transition of focus from support (reactive, costly) to success (proactive, profitable) even for B2C. We get into the operational challenges of implementing AI, why your knowledge base is now your most valuable asset, and how to evolve your career in a changing landscape.

What we cover:
☞ The difference between "Job Skills" (answering tickets) vs. "Career Skills" (politics and strategy).

☞ Why the line between Support and Success is blurring for B2B companies.

☞ The "AI Babysitter": A new essential role for support teams.

☞ How to manage the transition from human-first to AI-first without losing the artisanal touch.

☞ Practical advice for evaluating new tools (and avoiding sales fluff).

This episode is also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Q4qxWO7bgFw

We need your help: Like and subscribe for more videos like this. 

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You can save dozens of hours per month on the painful part of delivering reliable AI self-service with Helpfeel. Your whole org and customer base could be doing more valuable activities with our platform that has expert optimization included. 

550+ Helpfeel business customers see ~50% reduction in tickets over their existing vendor plus increased lifetime value that results in 2.5X annual ROI on average.

Book a demo now or watch a 2-minute video: https://www.helpfeel.com/en/

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#CX #AI #CustomerService #leadership #knowledgemanagement #2026