CX Passport

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Jon Deragon brings a global lens to AI product design as the Head of Design at FPT, the sponsor for today’s episode. Thank you FPT for collaborating with CX Passport.

Jon guides a 140+ person design org building everything from mobile apps to automotive interfaces while navigating the rapid shift into AI and multimodal experiences. This conversation gets into what modern design teams truly need to succeed and how respect transforms the design and development partnership.

Here are five insights you’ll hear in this episode:
 • How multimodal input changes the entire UX landscape
 • Why design literacy helps… but “everyone is a designer” does not
 • The real fix for design and development friction
 • Why centralizing design creates more meaningful output
 • How AI learning happens in layers and why that matters

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome
00:16 Jon’s global path and design focus
01:52 Designing for AI
03:38 Multimodal input
05:17 Keeping pace with AI
11:12 Should everyone be a designer
14:44 First Class Lounge
21:01 Structuring a large design org
24:15 Making design and development collaboration healthy
28:03 Respect as a design principle
29:04 Where to learn more about Jon and FPT

GUEST LINKS

FPT: https://fpt.com/
Jon’s website: https://jonderagon.com/

THREE WAYS TO KEEP EXPLORING CX PASSPORT

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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

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Charging more… and growing because of it? Dom Hodgson shows exactly how that works. Recorded in person as a CX Passport Live episode at The Alliance Mastermind hosted by Vance Morris, Dom brings a fresh pet-industry lens to universal business truths. He gets practical… pricing, differentiation, customer magic, and how to run a business that doesn’t steal your weekends. Dog adventures, Disney-fied touches, and straight-talk guidance make this conversation fun and genuinely useful for any business.

5 Insights From This Episode

• Why most businesses… including pet businesses… undercharge and how to confidently raise prices
• How a simple language shift created a premium service category
• Why sending physical newsletters still drives retention
• A low cost way to Disney-fy your customer experience
• How the right butts in the right seats transforms family-run operations

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to CX Passport Live with Dom Hodgson
 1:25 Dom’s background and how he entered the pet world
 2:21 The fastest place he spots money leaks
 3:30 Why owners fear raising prices
 5:51 The power of physical newsletters
 7:33 How the dog adventure business started
 9:03 Differentiating through language and experience
 10:31 First Class Lounge
 13:08 A practical Disney-fy move any business can use
 15:03 Simple automation that boosts retention
 17:46 Running a family business without chaos
 20:41 How to reach Dom

Guest Links

Dom Website: https://www.petbusinessmarketing.com/
How to Disnify Your Pet Business book: https://www.petbusinessmarketing.com/magicbook

Bring CX Passport Live to your event: https://www.cxpassportlive.com/
Listen: https://www.cxpassport.com
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@cxpassport
Newsletter: https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup

I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

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What happens when you build a workplace so strong, your talent never quits?
CX Passport Live sits down with Metropolis Resort GM Sara Abbott to unpack how a clear hiring philosophy and intentional talent development fuel consistent quality and operational success.
Recorded live at The Alliance Mastermind Event… packed with lessons every service leader can use.

5 insights from Sara
 • Why hiring kind people creates a foundation for quality and consistency
 • How Metropolis turns first time workers into reliable, long term contributors
 • The business value of Metropolis University and its life skill approach
 • Why human hospitality still wins even when digital efficiency is tempting
 • How leadership behaviors shape a culture that strengthens retention

CHAPTERS
 0:00 Welcome to CX Passport Live
 0:36 Meet Sara Abbott and Metropolis Resort
 1:50 What Sara notices first in any resort
 3:43 How Metropolis University began
 6:53 Life skills that strengthen retention
 7:55 Hiring young workers who stay
 10:59 Building a culture of kindness
 12:28 Growing leaders from within
 15:56 First Class Lounge
 23:42 Keeping hospitality human in a digital world

GUEST LINKS
Metropolis Resort https://metropolisresort.com/

MORE CX Passport...

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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

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Curiosity from the lab. Creativity from marketing. Transformation across a global pharma giant. Trina Di Giusto brings a scientist’s discipline and a storyteller’s instinct to CX. She explains how decentralized teams can still create harmony, why AI is tempting but rarely the fix, and what it takes for change to stick in a complex organization.

5 Insights From This Episode
• Scientific thinking becomes a CX advantage… methodical meets imaginative
• Pharma customers span patients, providers, payers, and regulators
• Delegation without orchestration leads to fragmentation
• AI only works when the underlying process is healthy
• Real change lasts when vision, skills, incentives, resources, and action align

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Trina from Basel
01:27 When science meets storytelling
03:47 Logic in a creative world
05:50 Blurring science and marketing
08:29 Defining CX in pharma
11:18 Delegation versus orchestration
13:57 First Class Lounge
18:01 Why tech is not the fix
22:51 What change management really requires
25:56 Lessons across six transformation cycles
28:06 Final takeaways and how to reach Trina

Guest Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinadigiusto/

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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...

Pharma and CX… not exactly two words you hear together often. But what happens when customer experience thinking meets healthcare? Silvi Haldipur has lived it. From personal experience to transforming patient, provider, and payer experiences at GSK and Merck, she’s proving that empathy and data can coexist to truly save lives.

5 Insights from This Episode
• CX in pharma isn’t impossible… it’s essential. Silvi shares how she turned a deeply personal healthcare experience into her mission for better patient outcomes.
• Beyond ads and emails… why support, not slogans, is what patients really need.
• What pharma can learn from design thinking, ethnography, and on-the-ground empathy.
• How “wraparound programs” simplify post-prescription chaos and actually improve outcomes.
• The rise of the Chief Customer Experience Officer in pharma… and why it’s long overdue.

🕒 CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome and Silvi’s path from advertising to pharma
03:00 A personal story that reshaped her view of healthcare
06:00 Seeing patients, providers, and payers as customers
09:00 Ethnography and field visits to get inside the experience
12:00 Fixing the “after the prescription” experience
16:00 Brand promise meets patient promise
19:30 First Class Lounge
23:00 Data vs. insight and the pit bull story
26:00 Why pharma needs CXOs
28:30 What Silvi would change about her healthcare experience
31:00 Closing thoughts

Guest Link
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvihaldipur/

Listen / Watch / Subscribe
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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...

How do you deliver empathy at scale when the stakes are life-changing?

In this *Greatest Hits* episode of CX Passport, recorded live in Austin as a CX Passport Live, Candy Kothmann shares what it means to lead a customer experience operation inside a government agency...the Texas Workforce Commission. 

Originally aired as Episode 207, this conversation opened eyes to the human side of CX in crisis situations. Candy’s team supports Texans during unemployment... moments filled with fear, frustration, and uncertainty...and does it with respect, empathy, and a behavior-based performance model that drives real connection.

CHAPTERS  
00:00  Respect, compassion, and courtesy  
03:50  Building empathy into every call  
05:48  Balancing efficiency and humanity  
07:47  Turning emotional calls into positive experiences  
09:03  Crisis response and wellness checks  
11:09  Supporting agents after difficult calls  
12:37  First Class Lounge  
16:32  Managing complaints in a regulated environment  
19:18  Improving what you can control  

If you like CX Passport, I have 3 quick requests:

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✅ Bring 🎙️🎬 CX Passport Live to your event https://www.cxpassportlive.com

I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...

Why do so many companies chase new customers when the math clearly proves that retention wins every time? Daniel Granja Baltazar joins from Rotterdam to unpack the “retention revelation”... how conversion rate optimization (CRO) is really about experience, not just clicks. Daniel’s global lens from the Netherlands to Brazil gives a fresh take on blending sales, marketing, and CX into one connected journey.

✈️ 5 First-Class Insights

• Conversion is the outcome, not the goal. Real CRO success starts with understanding the customer’s experience.
• Retention beats acquisition. Companies still pour money into getting new customers, while neglecting why current ones leave.
• Listen before assuming. Numbers reveal what’s happening... but only talking to customers reveals why.
• Bridge the silos. Sales, marketing, and customer service thrive when united by shared goals and active communication.
• Empathy drives everything. The best in sales, marketing, and CX are curious first, persuasive second.

🕓 CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Rotterdam
1:40 CRO vs CX: What’s the real difference?
4:24 The retention revelation
7:08 Why companies ignore their data’s advice
10:27 Rewarding existing customers
12:33 Global differences in customer culture
15:08 First Class Lounge
18:09 The watchmaker side hustle
19:34 The Wolf of Wall Street myth of sales
21:27 Empathy as the CX superpower
22:56 Breaking the silos
25:44 How qualitative insights drive smarter decisions
28:33 Talk to your customers... or you’re doing it wrong

🔗 Guest Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgbaltazar/

Watch store: https://uniqwatchmods.nl/

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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

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How can construction and customer experience possibly connect? Alyssa Staats shows us exactly how. From hard hats to HVAC, Alyssa reveals how CX shows up in the most unexpected corners of the AEC world (architecture, engineering, and construction). It’s not just about blueprints and budgets... it’s about people, relationships, and trust.

5 Insights from Alyssa Staats
• CX isn’t just external... winning the internal customer first builds trust that flows to the client.
• Safety isn’t compliance... it’s culture. When people feel protected, they deliver better work.
• In an industry built on specs and codes, experience becomes the real differentiator.
• The Design Assist model brings collaboration early... design and construction working together for smoother CX.
• Making your team the hero turns technical experts into brand storytellers.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:20 From marketing to construction CX
03:00 Winning the internal customer
05:10 Turning safety into company culture
08:40 Customers notice when crews care
11:30 Overcoming resistance to safety culture
14:20 First Class Lounge – Norway, Japan, and sunscreen
18:40 Bringing humanity to construction relationships
20:40 Delivering CX through collaboration
22:10 Design Assist and why it matters
25:15 Speaking the language of the field
27:30 How to connect marketing and field teams
28:10 Where to find Alyssa

Guest Links
Alyssa Staats on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssafs/
Society of Marketing Professional Services: https://www.smps.org/

✈️ Explore More
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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

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Customer experience isn’t about buzzwords or awards...it’s about creating real value.

In this episode, Jannecke Drangert-Hveding joins from Norway to challenge the CX world on what truly matters. From digital transformation to Nordic trust, from humble leadership to the balance of human and tech...she brings the hard questions and the honest answers.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why CX isn’t an “industry” but a way to solve real customer problems
• How Nordic cultures shape digital adoption...and where human interaction must remain
• The role of trust in public and private sector experiences
• Why humility and alignment beat frameworks and job titles
• The future of CX as an integrated business strategy, not a bolt-on team

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro & guest welcome
01:17 Should CX teams even exist?
04:30 Trade-offs and humility in CX leadership
05:41 Nordic culture, digital adoption, and saving time
07:30 Finding the right balance of digital and human
09:37 Why Nordic governments succeed with digital trust
13:25 CX without formal CX teams
17:56 First Class Lounge
22:07 CX as “training clothing”...action matters
25:04 The integrated future of CX
26:19 Where to find Jannecke

Guest Links
Website: https://customerc.no

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janneckedrangerthveding/

Listen / Watch / Subscribe
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Newsletter: https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup

I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...

Trust may be Brazil’s CX superpower... but that’s just the start.
Cami Ferreira brings more than culture insights. She brings a finance-first perspective that helps CX leaders finally speak the language of the boardroom. She shares how failures are fuel for better CX, why Brazil’s “Complain Here” platform changes accountability, and what it takes to transform a contact center into a profit center. Oh, and we still find time to talk coxinha, brigadeiro, and why salad remains a childhood trauma.

What you’ll discover in this episode:

• Trust in Brazil as a competitive advantage that accelerates decisions
• How “Complain Here” created accountability and changed company reputations
• Why CX leaders need to stop sounding like toddlers and start speaking finance
• A 3-pillar framework for turning contact centers into growth engines
• The First Class Lounge: stars in Chile, cruises in Alaska, coxinha, brigadeiro... and no salads allowed

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro to Cami Ferreira
02:28 Brazilian culture, trust, and CX
05:26 Complaints in Brazil: Reclame Aqui
10:54 Finance as CX’s secret weapon
18:25 First Class Lounge
24:24 Learning from failures in CX
27:16 Turning contact centers into profit centers
29:28 Guest links & wrap-up

Guest Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilaferreiraglobal/

Long Live CX Book: https://amzn.to/4gEgOsv
(affiliate link)

Listen / Watch / Subscribe
Listen: https://www.cxpassport.com

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@cxpassport

Newsletter: https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup

I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation.