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In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily Miller and Steve McDonnell sit down with Chad Familant, Wilmac Technologies’ new Vice President of Sales, for his first-ever appearance on the show.

Recorded during just his third week at Wilmac, Chad dives into the experiences that shaped his 20+ year career in the contact center industry, from the early days of analog-to-digital telecom, to helping enterprises migrate from on-prem systems to the cloud at Five9, to now joining Wilmac at a moment of accelerating growth and AI-driven transformation.

With momentum at an all-time high following Wilmac’s annual kickoff, Chad shares why he believes Wilmac is uniquely positioned at the intersection of data governance, AI readiness, and customer interaction technology, and why the next chapter presents a massive opportunity for customers and partners alike.

Here’s what you’ll hear about:

• Chad’s career journey from door-to-door wireless sales to enterprise cloud migration and AI-driven CX
• How his firsthand experience running internal contact centers shaped his empathy-first sales philosophy
• Why Wilmac’s mission, timing, and team alignment made joining the company a "right place, right time" moment
• Industry shifts he’s witnessed - from on-prem to CCaaS, omnichannel adoption, and now the AI boom
• Why AI readiness starts with data ownership and governance, and how Wilmac empowers customers to unlock decades of recordings
• Early impressions from his first weeks at Wilmac, including takeaways from the company-wide fiscal year kickoff
• How his leadership style evolved through rapid growth stages at a pre-IPO rocket ship
• Where he sees the contact center industry headed next - and how AI will reshape operations, automation, and decision-making

Whether you’re in CX, sales, leadership, or simply curious about how AI and compliance are redefining modern customer interaction, this episode offers an insightful look into the strategic mindset behind Wilmac’s expanding vision.

Episode Breakdown:

0:02 - Welcome and intro
2:12 - Chad’s background and Five9 experience
5:17 - First impressions from Wilmac’s fiscal kickoff
7:09 - Product surprises and customer feedback
10:18 - Chad’s career journey in contact centers
15:27 - How technology and CX expectations have evolved
17:35 - From on-prem to cloud to AI - key industry shifts
23:24 - AI readiness, data governance, and the role of Replay
27:16 - What’s coming next for AI in CX
30:14 - Best career advice: listen, listen, listen
31:47 - Leadership lessons from pre-IPO hypergrowth
34:44 - What excites Chad most about Wilmac’s next chapter
36:46 - How to connect with Chad

Connect with the speakers:

Emily Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-666b66152/

Steve McDonnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mcdonnell-8659042b/

Chad Familant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-familant-5094b21/

🎧 Listen to more episodes: wilmactech.com/the-wilmac-wire-data-management-cx-ccaas-saas-technology-podcast