CX Now

In this episode of the CXNow podcast, Lisa Painter and Caroline discuss the importance of intentional technology use in customer experience (CX) and how to navigate the complexities of workflows and systems. They emphasize the need for simplicity, iteration, and understanding the balance between technology and process to drive effective CX outcomes.

Takeaways

• Intentional technology use is key
• Simplicity enhances customer experience

Chapters

• 00:00 Embracing Intentional Technology Use
• 01:30 Navigating Technology and Workflow Challenges
• 02:58 The Importance of Simplicity in CX
• 05:22 Designing Effective CX Systems
• 07:58 The Need for Iteration and Feedback
• 08:51 Identifying Technology vs. Process Issues
• 11:06 Avoiding Costly Mistakes in CX
• 13:56 Maximizing Existing Tech Value
• 16:21 Real-Life Impactful CX Solutions
• 19:33 Core Principles for CX Leaders

In this episode of the CX Now Podcast, Lisa Painter interviews TJ Stein, Head of Customer Care at Ipsy, discussing the importance of customer context in enhancing AI-driven customer experiences. They explore the maturity model of AI deployments, common misconceptions about AI implementation, and the foundational groundwork necessary for successful AI integration in customer service.

Takeaways

• Customer context is crucial
• AI implementation requires foundational groundwork

Chapters

• 00:00 The Importance of Customer Context
• 01:00 AI Maturity Model in Customer Experience
• 02:53 Common Misses in Customer Context
• 04:59 Enhancing AI with Better Context
• 07:56 Foundational Groundwork for AI Success
• 11:01 Misconceptions About AI Implementation
• 14:52 Identifying AI Underperformance
• 17:12 Measuring Value from AI in CX
• 21:01 Advice for CX Leaders on AI

Jennifer Villalba, Director of CX at 32 Degrees delves into the challenges of maintaining consistency in busy times, learning from scaling mistakes, navigating customer feedback, understanding the frontline role of CX, balancing tools and human touch, finding the balance between AI and human interaction, empowering agents while maintaining consistency, the pitfalls of overemphasis on automation in CX strategy, and avoiding overwhelming agents with new technology.

Takeaways

• Maintaining consistency in busy times is a challenge for CX, especially during peak seasons.
• Balancing automation and human interaction is crucial for successful CX strategy.
  

Chapters

• 00:00 Accidents Happen: Maintaining Consistency in Busy Times
• 03:00 Learning from Mistakes: Scaling Back and Its Consequences
• 05:09 Feedback and Decision-Making: Navigating Customer Feedback
• 07:00 The Role of CX: Understanding the Frontline of Customer Experience
• 09:29 Scaling CX: Balancing Tools and Human Touch
• 11:17 AI in CX: Finding the Balance Between Automation and Human Interaction
• 15:06 Empowerment and Consistency: Balancing Agent Empowerment and Service Consistency
• 20:23 CX Strategy: The Pitfalls of Overemphasis on Automation
• 23:07 Introducing New Tools: Avoiding Overwhelming Agents with New Technology

Host Lisa Painter and Jared Loman, Head of Operations & CX at Kick, explore the evolving relationship between CX and engineering teams, emphasizing trust, technical fluency, and the role of AI in collaboration. Jared shares why AI hasn’t replaced human judgement the way many predicted, the single most damaging habit that keeps CX stuck in the “complaint department” instead of earning a seat as the “context department”, and a concrete 30-minute action leaders can start taking tomorrow to build a stronger partnership with their engineering counterparts.

Takeaways

• AI as a multiplier, not an additive
• Building relationships between CX and engineering
• The convergence of human judgment and AI

Chapters

• 00:00 The AI Debate
• 03:04 The Role of Human Relationships in CX
• 05:30 The Importance of CX-Engineering Relationships
• 06:19 Responsibility in Relationship Breakdowns
• 10:04 Technical Knowledge in CX Leadership
• 12:24 Building Trust and Alignment
• 19:32 Navigating Tensions and Priorities
• 23:31 AI's Impact on CX and Engineering
• 26:50 Advice for Improving CX-Engineering Relationships

Jessica-Rose Garcia, Senior Manager of CX at OneSkin, shares her expertise on embedding customer experience at the core of business strategy. Discover how leadership commitment, effective metrics, and customer insights drive loyalty and elevate brand perception.

Takeaways:

• CX must sit at the intersection of everything a business does, requiring leadership commitment and influence.
• Customer insights should be tied to impactful outcomes to drive action and decision-making.

Chapters:

• 00:00 The Heart of CX
• 02:11 Signals of CX Marginalization
• 04:33 Customer Expectations and Premium Brands
• 07:18 The Role of CX in Business Transformation
• 09:45 Challenges of Customer Loyalty
• 11:33 Insights from Customer Interactions
• 14:12 Actionable Customer Insights
• 17:04 The Impact of CX Metrics
• 19:59 Return on Investment in CX
• 23:30 Shaping the Perception of CX

What does it actually take to make voice of the customer more than a buzzword? In this episode of CX Now, Lauren Gold sits down with Victoria Weiss, Senior Director, CX at Smalls, to talk about turning customer feedback into real operational and strategic change — and why so many organizations collect VoC data without ever acting on it.

Victoria has spent a decade building voice of the customer programs from the ground up, at companies including Daily Harvest and now Smalls. In this conversation, she shares her personal playbook for standing up a VOC program from scratch, how to translate CX data into language other departments will actually act on, and why persistence — not perfection — is what makes a voice of the customer program stick long term.

Victoria and Lauren dig into a real, tactical example: how a scrappy, low-cost packaging fix cut product damage by 50%, and why coming to the table with solutions (not just complaints) is what earns CX a seat in cross-functional conversations. They also cover the underrated power of CSAT as a business metric rather than just a CX metric, how to uncover the things customers don't explicitly tell you in reviews or surveys, and how AI is changing the way CX leaders surface trends without spending hours manually combing through conversations.

Whether you're building a voice of the customer program for the first time or looking for ways to get your VOC data taken more seriously across the business, this episode is packed with practical, tested advice from someone who has done it more than once.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to get voice of the customer data out of a data warehouse and into real decisions
• A step-by-step playbook for launching a VOC program from scratch
• How to build cross-functional relationships that make other teams want to act on CX data
• Why CSAT deserves to be treated as a business metric, not just a CX metric
• How to uncover what customers aren't explicitly telling you in feedback
• How AI is changing the way CX leaders find and act on trends
• Victoria's #1 piece of advice for any CX leader trying to grow their VOC program
  

Timestamps:
00:00 Introducing Victoria Weiss, Senior Director, CX at Smalls
00:29 Why voice of the customer data often stalls in a data warehouse
00:50 Building cross-functional relationships to get CX data taken seriously
02:52 Customizing your talk track for different stakeholders
03:19 A real example: cutting product damage by 50% with a scrappy fix
05:49 How to start a voice of the customer program from scratch
06:06 Victoria's playbook: interview your team, stakeholders, and customers
08:24 Building a sustainable rhythm for sharing insights and closing feedback loops
09:20 What customers don't explicitly tell you — and how to uncover it
11:00 Following up directly with customers for more specifics
11:43 How central VOC should be to a CX leader's day-to-day decisions
13:10 The most underrated feedback source: CSAT as a business metric
14:26 Why sharing CSAT broadly builds team morale and accountability
15:18 How AI is changing the way CX leaders find trends in feedback
16:59 Victoria's #1 piece of advice for CX leaders improving their VOC programs
18:13 Closing thoughts

About CX Now:
CX Now is Kustomer's podcast for customer experience leaders who want practical, real-world insight into building better customer experiences. Hosted by Lauren Gold, Chief Customer Officer at Kustomer, each episode features candid conversations with CX practitioners and executives tackling the same challenges you are — from building VOC programs to scaling support with AI.

Lauren Gold and Kustomer CTO and co-founder Jeremy Suriel discuss the architectural considerations for building AI into a customer service platform, including model selection, orchestration layer, and privacy obligations. They also explore the debate around training own models versus relying on foundation models from big labs and the evolving role of in-house AI teams in B2B SaaS companies.

Takeaways

• Model Selection: The approach to AI model selection involves a tiered architecture, with each model chosen based on its specific strengths and requirements.
• Orchestration Layer: Building a flexible orchestration layer allows for the integration of multiple AI models, providing customers with meaningful control over AI configurations.
• Privacy Obligations: Zero data retention agreements and residency matters are key considerations for maintaining customer trust and privacy obligations.
• Build vs. Buy: The conversation highlights the debate around training own models versus relying on foundation models from big labs, emphasizing the importance of building around the model rather than the model itself.
• In-House AI Teams: The evolving role of in-house AI teams in B2B SaaS companies involves integration, domain expertise, and bridging the gap between research and production.

Chapters

• 00:00 Architecting AI for Customer Service Platforms
• 05:35 Orchestration Layer and Flexibility
• 17:34 Privacy Obligations and Data Residency

The conversation covers the importance of building customer trust, the role of proactive support, the impact of AI tools, insights and complexity in customer support, human involvement, retention of institutional knowledge, and the characteristics of an elite support organization.

Takeaways

• Proactive support builds customer trust
• AI tools enhance customer support
• Human involvement remains crucial in customer support

Chapters

• 00:00 Building Customer Trust
• 06:55 AI Tools in Customer Support
• 14:50 Human Involvement in Customer Support
• 35:54 Retention of Institutional Knowledge
• 41:07 Elite Support Organization

Jess Jackson dives into the emotional labor crisis in customer experience (CX), the impact of AI on team structure and agent exhaustion, strategies to prevent burnout and support agents, cultural approaches to address emotional load, AI's role in supporting agents, and the connection between emotional labor and business outcomes.

Takeaways

• Emotional labor crisis in CX is a critical issue
• AI has the potential to support and improve the agent experience

Chapters

• 00:00 Understanding Emotional Labor Crisis
• 09:08 Preventing Burnout and Supporting Agents
• 14:41 Addressing Emotional Load Culturally
• 22:21 AI's Role in Agent Support
• 27:36 Connecting Emotional Labor to Business Outcomes

Is AI actually transforming customer experience — or is the reality far messier than the hype? In this episode of CXNow, Lauren Gold sits down with Tue Søttrup, 20-year CX veteran and CEO of SmartRole, to separate boardroom mandates from ground-level truth. Tue shares why most enterprise AI implementations fail, what agents actually need to feel supported through the transition, and what the best CX organizations will look like five years from now.

In this episode:

• Why CX leaders are getting AI wrong — and how to flip the approach
• The hidden cost of automating easy tickets
• How to build agent buy-in without the fear
• The service recovery paradox and why humans still win
• What proactive, AI-powered CX actually looks like

Chapters

• 00:00 The Role of AI in CX
• 06:21 Challenges of AI Implementation
• 14:21 Training Agents to Work with AI
• 21:55 The Future of Human Agents and AI