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Michel Stevens believes technology should be boring... and that’s a compliment.

In this episode of CX Passport, Michel shares how three core values — honesty, fairness, and trust — shape every decision in customer experience and leadership. From his start on the contact center floor to leading global teams, Michel reveals how calm technology and clear values drive better results.

We talk about:
👉Why “boring” tech is better tech
👉The 3 values that guide great CX
👉How fairness improves decision-making
👉Building trust across global teams
👉What honest leadership really looks like


CHAPTERS
0:00 The Three-Part CX Value Equation
0:18 Michel’s Unplanned Journey Into CX 
4:18 Grocery Store Epiphany 
6:21 Balancing Speed, Humanity, and Brand 
10:38 Journalism Skills in CX 
13:28 Creating Space for Curiosity 
16:01 Lessons From European Business Culture 
17:51 First Class Lounge 
23:26 When Tech Gets Boring, It Gets Useful 
26:34 Connecting Strategy to Tangible Outcomes

Guest Links:
 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelstevens/


#customerservice #customerexperience #customer #improvecustomerexperience #customerserviceprocess #process #business #management #travel #bettercustomerservice #podcast

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Can complaints actually be your company’s greatest asset?

In this *Greatest Hits* episode of CX Passport, Scott Lee Holloway shares his CX journey…from a teenage pet shop employee in the UK to leading customer experience strategy for APS Bank in Malta.

Originally aired as Episode 167, this conversation continues to resonate. Scott breaks down the cost of poor CX, why unstructured feedback matters, and how creativity (including a James Bond-style internal launch video) can drive serious CX results.

CHAPTERS  

00:00  The cost of poor CX  

02:29  Malta and the road to APS Bank  

05:29  Support ≠ inefficiency  

08:03  Getting skeptics on board  

10:06  Loving complaints  

15:52  CX maturity in Malta  

18:08  First Class Lounge  

23:50  Extracting value from unstructured data  

26:58  Building a CX team from scratch

Episode resources:  

Connect with Scott Lee Holloway on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottleeholloway  

Visit Scott’s site: https://www.scottleeholloway.com  

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

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

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 CX won’t work if the people closest to the customer don’t have a seat at the table.

Kate Guenther’s journey started in childhood, learning how trust is built through human-centered service. Today, that experience fuels her belief that strategy only works when everyone is aligned — from the C-suite to the frontline.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How a childhood lesson sparked Kate’s customer-first mindset
• Why CX breaks down when key voices are excluded
• The danger of strategy with no frontline input
• How to bring product, ops, and support to the same table
• Why sustainable CX depends on clear ownership
  
  

CHAPTERS
 0:00 Meet Kate Guenther
 1:20 Interior design lessons and the Genevieve story
 4:18 The shift from transaction to interaction
 7:00 Equipping teams to scale CX
 10:42 The connection between product and customer experience
 12:34 Delivering CX results executives care about
 14:07 First Class Lounge
 17:53 What companies get wrong in CX
 19:03 Scaling with soul: how to truly listen
 21:10 Why great CX starts at the frontline
 22:45 What’s next for Kate
 23:01 Where to find Kate

Guest Links:
 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdg/

If you like CX Passport, I have 3 quick requests:
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I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.

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How do you build customer experience around support… not in spite of it?

In this *Greatest Hits* episode of CX Passport, Sarah Hatter shares insights from over a decade of championing support as a strategic pillar of CX. As the founder of ElevateCX and someone who’s worked across SaaS and startup landscapes, Sarah brings a grounded, honest take on what actually works when supporting customers.

Originally released as Episode 173, this conversation stood out for its real-world perspective, practical advice, and Sarah’s clear voice for treating support teams like the heart of the business.

CHAPTERS  

00:00  Asking permission in support conversations  

02:30  Support as a CX foundation  

05:10  Why fast responses aren’t always better  

08:45  The “escalation mindset” trap  

12:20  Training great support teams  

15:40  Mental health in support roles  

18:05  What leaders miss about burnout  

20:15  Why support should be a strategic asset  

22:45  First Class Lounge  

26:20  How ElevateCX was born

Episode resources:  

Connect with Sarah Hatter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhatter  

Learn more about ElevateCX: https://www.elevatecx.co

If you like CX Passport, I have 2 quick requests:

✅ Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup  

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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...

 What if you could measure trust in real time?

Tim McCleary brings neuroscience, global experience design, and deep culture work into one unique conversation. As the founder of The Involvement Practice, Tim helps organizations move from slogans to action... building trust and performance from the inside out.

In this episode, we talk about:

• His work with neuroscientist Paul Zak to measure trust
• The global truth: people are people
• How to localize culture without diluting it
• Why great branding must match real experience
• The 3 S’s of memory-making: sight, sound, and scent

High-trust cultures perform better. Tim shows us how to build them... and how to prove it.

CHAPTERS
 0:00 Meet Tim McCleary
 1:32 Why communication is the throughline
 4:54 The origin of Involvement Culture
 8:57 Localizing global strategy
 12:05 Brand, culture, and customer experience
 16:21 When CX lost its way... and where it’s going
 19:34 The experience economy and emotional design
 22:58 First Class Lounge
 28:08 Neuroscience and the measurement of trust
 33:20 What to do with trust data
 34:58 Where to find Tim

Guest Links:
 🌐 The Involvement Practice: theinvolvementpractice.com
🧠 Be Human Project: theinvolvementpractice.com/be-human

If you like CX Passport, I have 3 quick requests:
 ✅Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel: youtube.com/@cxpassport
✅Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter: cxpassport.kit.com/signup
✅Bring 🎙️🎬CX Passport Live to your event: 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...

What does customer experience look like in Ghana — and across Africa?

In this *Greatest Hits* episode of CX Passport, Kojo Hayford takes us on a journey through customer experience transformation on the African continent. Kojo is the Founder and CEO of eSAL LLC, a firm leading the charge in Business Process Outsourcing and CX innovation in Ghana and beyond.

Originally aired as E181, this conversation resonated because of Kojo’s clarity, passion for talent development, and honest perspective on what it takes to build something meaningful and sustainable in a growing economy.

CHAPTERS 
00:00  Demographic dividend in Africa 
01:40  Why Kojo founded eSAL 
04:30  Customer experience in the Ghanaian context 
08:42  Opportunities for BPO in Africa 
13:55  Developing talent and future leaders 
18:50  Serving global brands from Africa 
21:40  First Class Lounge 
26:45  Leadership and authenticity 
30:10  Lessons from his father’s legacy

Episode resources: 
Connect with Kojo Hayford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kojo-hayford 
Learn more about eSAL: https://www.esal.llc

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

✅ Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@cxpassport 
✅ Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup 
✅ 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...

 How do you get real business value from customer experience work?

Dave Seaton is a journey mapping expert who doesn't stop at sticky notes and emotional arcs. He helps companies identify operational and financial wins from their CX initiatives…with one client achieving a 9X(!) ROI.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to tie journey mapping to real business impact
  
  
  
• Why empathy is great, but outcomes matter more
  
  
  
• What CX pros should do when leadership won’t listen
  
  
  
• Dave’s practical take on metrics, personas, and strategy
  
  
  

CX isn’t fluff. Dave shows us how to make it count.

CHAPTERS
 0:00 Meet Dave Seaton
 1:39 What “real CX work” looks like
 4:00 Journey mapping that drives 9X ROI
 7:00 Empathy vs. business outcomes
 9:23 CX leaders as internal consultants
 12:05 Fixing broken processes from journey maps
 14:40 When the boss won’t listen
 16:53 First Class Lounge
 19:28 From the military to CX
 22:18 Where to connect with Dave

Guest Links:
 🌐 Website: seatoncx.com
📘 Free Pathfinder Session: seatoncx.com/pathfinder
🍗 Chicken Dinner Club: chickendinnerclub.com
💼 LinkedIn: Dave Seaton
🎧 Podcast feature on Your Customer Your Success:
 Analyze First, Map Later – Dave Seaton’s Approach to Effective Journey Mapping

If you like CX Passport, I have 3 quick requests:
 ✅Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel: youtube.com/@cxpassport
✅Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter: cxpassport.kit.com/signup
✅Bring 🎙️🎬CX Passport Live to your event: www.cxpassportlive.com

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

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How do Agile principles, customer experience, and camper life all fit together? Lauren Feehrer connects those dots brilliantly in this *Greatest Hits* episode of CX Passport.

Lauren is the founder of LoyaltyCraft, where she helps mid-market companies grow through smarter customer experience strategies. From her roots as a process analyst at Accenture to helping clients implement Agile CX frameworks today, Lauren brings a balance of structure and empathy to the CX world.

This episode originally aired as E182 and stood out not just for Lauren's insights but for her authenticity — whether talking about CX in hospice care or running her family like a Scrum team (yes, really).

Lauren blends CX discipline with curiosity and care — and it’s no surprise this episode made the Greatest Hits list.

CHAPTERS 
00:00  Starting at Accenture...and blue screens 
04:58  Listening deeply to customers 
07:49  Agile CX explained 
11:46  The business of grief and caregiving 
15:34  Family road trips during the pandemic 
18:41  First Class Lounge 
23:41  Discipline, emotion, and process 
26:54  Her grandfather’s CX inspiration 
29:11  Using Agile with your family

Episode resources: 
Connect with Lauren Feehrer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenfeehrer 
Learn more about LoyaltyCraft: https://www.loyaltycraft.com

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

✅ Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@cxpassport 
✅ Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup 
✅ 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...

How do you actually build a culture that sticks — one that survives chaos, grows talent, and actually gets results?

Eric Stone has spent nearly 30 years leading through culture. From building the “think tank” inside Enterprise Rent-A-Car to crafting his own hourglass framework, Eric takes us through real-world stories that show culture is more than posters and values. It’s behaviors in action.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome Eric Stone
1:15 The family road trip that inspired a book
2:46 Culture isn’t a poster — it’s action
3:38 Building a real culture with the “think tank”
5:54 Trust starts at interview, not orientation
8:38 Johnny the Bagger and culture ripple effects
12:54 Seeing the real frontline experience
14:05 The Hourglass approach
16:12 First Class Lounge
18:54 Culture turnaround — what it really takes
24:28 Why execution depends on culture

Guest links:
📘 Book: ericdstone.com
💼 LinkedIn: Eric Stone
🎤 Speaking: clearpathventures.com

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

✅Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel youtube.com/@cxpassport
✅Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter cxpassport.kit.com/signup
✅Bring 🎙️🎬CX Passport Live to your event 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...

🎤🎞️“The One With The AI Readiness Truth” with Fred Stacey CEO Cloud Tech Gurus in CX Passport Episode 218🎧 What’s in the episode?...

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction: Welcoming Fred Stacey

1:30 Why every contact center is the same… and different

4:46 What it takes to be AI-ready today

7:39 The legacy tech trap vs. modern AI advantage

11:11 People, process, and tech: The true AI readiness checklist

13:40 How AI enhances human coaching

17:14 Global travel and CX comparisons

18:12 First Class Lounge: Athens, steak, and extra socks

21:56 Should every company chase the Amazon AI model?

25:15 AI gone wrong: Real risks beyond bad business

28:32 Where to connect with Fred

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

✅Subscribe to the CX Passport YouTube channel youtube.com/@cxpassport

✅Join other “CX travelers” with the weekly CX Passport newsletter cxpassport.kit.com/signup 

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

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

Episode resources:

Fred LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredstaceyaincx/