Next in Queue

Next in Queue

By Rob DwyerBusiness
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Next in Queue episodes

  • Monster is a Relative Term featuring Mike Verret

    Dr. Henry Wu provides an illuminating take on the idea of perspective in 2015’s Jurassic World: “To a canary, a cat is a monster; we’re just used to being the cat.” Our perspective on just about anything is likely biased by what we’re used to.

    Businesses often forget the perspective of who they’re marketing to, says Mike Verret. In fact, when it comes to marketing, Mike says your message is not about your business – it should be about how your audience perceives what you do. He joins the show to talk about how to pitch your business in a way that makes people say, “Tell me more!”

    We discuss:

    • Importance of Clarity, Simplicity, and Consistency in Communication
    • The Power of social media and content of value
    • How to build trust with potential customers
    • The story behind his logo
    • Mike’s incredible connection with the Jurassic World franchise

    Connect with Mike on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-verret/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    44 min
  • Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again? featuring Doug Rabold
    The British comedy, The IT Crowd, was inspired by an encounter with a PC tech with poor people skills. While IT Service Desk and IT Service Management have both changed drastically since it’s 2006 debut, the stereotype of socially inept geeks answering tech support calls lives on.
    But there’s a shifting of the IT Service Management landscape. The principles of Customer Experience are beginning to play a larger role within ITSM. Evidence for that is presented by today’s guest, Doug Rabold. Doug’s background in consultative sales informed his approach to IT service. Today, Doug is a recognized ITSM thought leader and CX influencer, and he shares the emergence of a new breed of metrics – XLAs, or Experience Level Agreements.
    We discuss:
    • What XLAs are (and what they aren’t)
    • Challenges with XLAs
    • Transitioning to XLAs
    • Changing the mindset in Service Desks
    • Getting started with XLAs
    • The Evolution of XLAs
    Connect with Doug on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-rabold-itil-hdi/
    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/
    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/
    41 min
  • The One That I Want featuring Jason Trujillo and Kate Kompelien

    The 1978 film, Grease, follows the romantic journey of Danny Zuko, played by John Travolta, and Sandy Olsson, played by Olivia Newton-John. You’re The One That I Want is the theme to the denouement of the story, when both characters recognize the persona of the other and reimagine who they could be for each other.

    Creating a product that customers want requires understanding the various customer personas. Afterall, not every customer is looking for Greased Lightning! Jason Trujillo and Kate Kompelien bring their incredible experience and insights to this episode of Next in Queue as we discuss:

    • Why products fail

    • How emotion figures into product development
    • Where product development typically starts and why it’s the wrong place
    • Why Journey Maps should be paired with Process Maps
    • Why internal products matter just as much as customer-facing products
    • The different roles of product channels
    • Famous examples of product failures

    Connect with Jason on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason2000/

    Connect with Kate on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekompelien/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    48 min
  • Last Dance featuring Jason Hiland

    If you’ve never seen the video for Tom Petty’s 1993 hit, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, it’s a disturbing example of what can happen when an unsupervised worker with the right access goes rogue.

    While work from home has become increasingly popular for contact centers, agent disengagement and security concerns still linger. Jason Hiland has spent over two decades in the contact center business and is currently focused on solving these concerns.

    We discuss:

    • How work from home is unique for contact center agents
    • Definitions of common Information Security jargon
    • Unexpected ways data leaks can happen
    • What many companies forget or ignore with work from home
    • Advantages of work from home for both agents and businesses
    • Technology that facilitates work from home engagement and security
    • Jason’s journey up Machu Picchu

    Connect with Jason on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhiland/

    Collaboration Room – https://collaborationroom.ai/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    51 min
  • Ruin is the Road to Transformation featuring Kassy LaBorie

    Based on the 2006 book of the same name, the 2010 film Eat, Pray, Love follows the self-discovery journey of Liz Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts. Faced with a “now what” moment, she travels to Italy, India, and Bali. This clip illustrates a moment of realization for her about change and fear. Her resolve, however, will continually be tested, and the journey has only just begun.

    Kassy LaBorie recently faced a “now what” moment, herself. Over the past year, she has been on her own journey of transformation. As we enter 2024, lots of people will be considering how they want to change direction in one way or another. I couldn’t think of a better person to have a conversation with about change and how to overcome the challenges of fear and self-doubt that we all struggle with from time to time.

    We discuss:

    • The impact of 2020 on virtual training
    • The challenges of self-doubt and comparison
    • The process of writing and delivering a keynote speech
    • The importance of focusing on what works, overcoming fear and self-criticism, and finding inspiration in the success of others
    • The need for continuous learning and growth
    • The power of vulnerability and self-reflection in personal and professional development

    Connect with Kassy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassylaborie/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    46 min
  • Ritual featuring Mercer Smith

    Perhaps no movie epitomizes the early 90s grunge scene quite like the 1992 film, Singles. Cameron Crowe’s second film featured a soundtrack littered with bands that would soon become household names. Soundgarden’s Birth Ritual featured the unmistakable vocals of Chris Cornell belting out the word Ritual.

    Rituals are a feature of every society, often linked to religions and cults. But rituals are hardly relegated to the mystical. They show up within our teams, our families, and our personal lives. I wanted to explore the topic and did so with Mercer Smith, the VP of CX Insights & Community at PartnerHero.

    We discuss:

    • How ritual led to her first book being published
    • How LEGO has its own rituals in Mercer’s home
    • How new families foster new rituals
    • One successful and one unsuccessful ritual Mercer brought from one business to another
    • How physical ritual impacts focus
    • Mercer delivers a challenge to the audience

    Connect with Mercer on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithmercer/

    Preorder CXOXO: Building a Support Team Customers Will Love – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CK53YJB4?ref_=pe_30520

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    42 min
  • Jenny I’ve Got Your Number featuring Philip Bennett

    For most of 1981, 867-5309 would have been considered a random phone number at best. By the spring of 1982, it had become the most famous phone number in the world. Tommy Tutone’s hit even inspired a fad of people calling the number and asking for Jenny, forcing nearly one hundred people to change their phone numbers.

    Perhaps the second most famous number in the US began its journey to fame a few years earlier. Originally just 588-2300, the Empire Today® jingle has been around since 1977 in commercials featuring the equally famous Empire Man. Nearly 30 years ago, the nationwide toll-free 800 area code was added to the jingle as their business grew out from their Chicago home and into about 75 metro areas in the US. Empire Today is a home improvement and home furnishing company that specializes in carpet and flooring. While Phil Bennett is *not* the Empire Man, he does lead Empire Today’s customer service operations which are increasingly going digital despite the famous phone number.

    We discuss:

    • How Phil ended up in the Contact Center business
    • The myth of Omni-Channel platforms
    • How companies create barriers for customer communication
    • How legacy technology hinders advancement
    • Real-world examples of how different companies deal with legacy technology

    Connect with Phil on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-b-9a8535b/

    Classic Empire TV commercials – https://www.empiretoday.com/tv-commercials

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    53 min
  • We All Wanna See You Tattoo Your… featuring Kory Kostecka

    In Season 8 of The Office, Andy Bernard gets creative with an employee incentive plan to drive better profitability. His points system is met with apathy until he ups the ante with some pretty bizarre and embarrassing potential rewards. In typical Andy fashion, his plan backfires spectacularly.

    Kory Kostecka, the Director of Workforce Solutions at Paramount Staffing, believes contact centers need to adjust to attract and retain top talent, but he wouldn’t advise using Andy’s method. Instead, he offers some relatively simple strategies that will make your talent management successful in 2024 and beyond.
    We discuss:
    • Post-COVID shifts in hiring criteria
    • How companies can earn employee loyalty beyond pay
    • How to communicate career path opportunities
    • Big trends for 2024
    • One thing younger workers want more than ever before
    Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kory-kostecka-95b82514a/
    Paramount Staffing – https://www.hireparamount.com/
    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/
    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/


    39 min
  • The Look featuring Daniel Nilsson

    In 1989, Roxette took the world by storm with their first hit, “The Look.” Songwriter, Per Gessle wanted the band’s 2nd album, Look Sharp, to be “a little more programmed, digital, and modern” than their first effort, Pearls of Passion, so he got a synthesizer and in the process of learning to use it, wrote “The Look.”

    Daniel Nilsson believes support should be “a little more programmed, digital, and modern” as well. Not only does his proactive approach to support reduce support inquires, it drives more sales through channel partners.

    We discuss:

    • Why Daniel believes in always being available for Customer Support
    • How Preventative Support impacts product design
    • How good onboarding impacts Support
    • How great Channel Sales and Support can drive revenue
    • Tips and Tricks for providing great Channel Sales Support
    • Lessons from Marketing applied to Support
    • The critical attribute for successful Support professionals

    Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnilssonsweden/

    Daniel’s blog – https://www.daniel-one.com

    Much Skills – https://www.muchskills.com/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    39 min
  • Fantastic Voyage featuring Ilenia Vidili

    The iconic 1980 Lakeside hit, Fantastic Voyage, invites listeners to leave behind the mundane and embark on a journey filled with unexpected delights. Breaking free of societal constraints and your own comfort zone has compelling rewards, but only if we’re ready to embrace the journey.

    Societal constraints extend to the business world, too. Quarterly earnings calls often compel business leaders to follow a path to short-term gains rather than focusing on customer-centricity and the long-term gains of that path.

    Ilenia’s Vidili’s fantastic voyage began on the Italian island of Sardinia and took her Spain, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, and back to Italy. Along that voyage, she learned a lot about customer experience. Recently, she focused her efforts to write Journey to Centricity, a guide for companies willing to embark on a fantastic voyage that focuses on the most important stakeholder in any business – the customer.

    We discuss:

    • Her childhood experience growing up in Sardinia
    • Her first experience in customer relationships
    • Why companies still struggle to understand both customers and employees
    • The relationship between Customer-Centricity and profitability
    • The power of emotional connection with customers
    • Why there is a trust deficit between customers and companies
    • The barriers to Customer-Centricity
    • A Sardinia-only food you have to hear about

    Connect with Ilenia on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ileniavidili/

    Ilenia’s Website – https://www.ileniavidili.com/

    Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

    Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

    53 min

About Next in Queue

From the publisher's feed

Hosted by Rob Dwyer, Next in Queue features Customer Experience, Contact Center, Customer Support, Customer Success, Training, Leadership, and Technology experts and practitioners from around the…