Send us a text Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here, bringing the year's biggest sales rush! For contact centers, this is the Super Bowl of customer service, and preparation is everything. In this episode of ACG, we dive into updated best practices to help your team stay ahead, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and handle the holiday sales frenzy like pros. Whether you're looking to optimize staffing, fine-tune your processes, or leverage AI tools to manage the madn...

Send us a textIn this episode of ACG, we explore how small and medium-sized businesses can harness authentic artificial intelligence to transform their contact centers without overspending. With a flood of so-called "AI" products in the market, we help you distinguish genuine solutions from the fakes to ensure you're investing wisely. Learn how focusing on Knowledge Management Systems, smart integrations, and agent-level AI tools can deliver immediate ROI. Whether you're facing chal...

Send us a textJoin me for an exciting episode where I take a deep dive into the heart of my latest book, False Hustle. Many contact centers and CX leaders are unknowingly sabotaging their own success by focusing on misguided efforts to appear productive.In this episode, I’ll be sharing insights on how to break the cycle of false hustle and transform customer experience from the ground up. We’ll explore how to strike the perfect balance between the efficiency of AI and the irreplaceable human ...

Send us a textIn this episode of "Advice from a Call Center Geek," we dive into the challenging world of dealing with angry customers. Discover five powerful, actionable techniques that can transform heated interactions into opportunities for building customer loyalty. Perfect for contact center managers and agents alike, this episode covers:The Empathy + Action ComboThe Interruption BusterThe Ownership ApproachThe Reframing TechniqueThe Calm Questioning MethodLearn how to diffuse tensio...

Send us a Text Message. Did you ever ask yourself what the high-end contact centers are doing differently? In this ACGpodcast, we dive deep into the cutting-edge technologies that set elite customer service operations apart from the rest. This is how we are developing our strategic plan for Expivia.From AI-powered chatbots to advanced analytics, we explore the tools and strategies that are revolutionizing the way top companies interact with their customers. Whether you're a business...

Send us a Text Message.The contact center industry is evolving, and with that evolution, contact centers of all types are starting to learn valuable lessons.In this episode, we'll dive into how the BPO landscape is changing, what these changes mean for customers, and the latest AI tools you should be asking for in your outsourcing RFPs.Don’t let the title fool you, this episode is essential for anyone running a contact center. Discover exceptional, AI-driven contact center outsourcing wi...

Send us a Text Message. Join us as we dive into the journey of founding and growing OttoQa, a cutting-edge AI-powered Customer Experience (CX) company. In this episode, we'll share our firsthand experiences, lessons learned, and the challenges we faced in building a fully automated QA platform. Discover the strategies and insights that helped us innovate in the CX industry, the role of AI in transforming quality assurance, and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs. Whether you're a CX professi...

Send us a Text Message.What if you could transform your call center’s efficiency and agent performance overnight? This episode guarantees you’ll walk away with actionable insights on crafting the ultimate QA forms for both voice and chat channels. We’ll guide you on defining the crucial goals for your QA forms, such as enhancing agent performance, ensuring compliance, and extracting valuable customer interaction insights. With the collective wisdom from examining hundreds of QA for...

Send us a Text Message.In this ACG episode, we dive into the transformative impact of AI on customer service QA. Hosted by Tom Laird, the CEO of Expivia Interaction Marketing Group and OttoQa, this session explores how ChatGPT and Claude 3 enhance call analysis and agent performance monitoring. Discover effective system prompting and its role in refining quality assurance for consistency and high accuracy, with standards reaching 96-97.5%. Learn the nuances of differentiating betwe...

Send us a Text Message.Are you overwhelmed by the relentless push to overhaul your contact center with AI? Let's clear the air about the real impact of AI in this industry. My recent talks reveal a surprising fact: many companies are not rushing into AI as believed. In reality, few have a detailed plan or have started implementation.Join me in a practical journey as we create a roadmap for incorporating technology thoughtfully in your contact center. Drawing from my latest engagemen...

Send us a Text Message.Tune into our latest ACG podcast episode, "Will Auto QA Platforms End the Era of Traditional CX Analytics?" where we dive into the world of customer experience analytics. We’ll explore and compare the tools and techniques behind both Auto QA platforms and traditional analytics methods. This friendly chat is packed with insights about how each approach handles customer data and what makes them unique. Join Tom as he unravels the complexities and dis...

Send us a Text Message. Join Tom in this insightful podcast episode recorded at the HDI Philly event held at Princeton University.  Delve into groundbreaking strategies and cutting-edge technologies, including AI, to revolutionize your service desk operations. Drawing from his leadership at Expivia, where he expanded the team to over 600 professionals, and his innovative work at OttoQA, Tom shares advanced methods that enhance operational efficiency and elevate customer...

Dive into the transformative journey of OttoQa, where we've uncovered the profound impact of prompts in elevating customer experience (CX) quality assurance (QA) processes. This podcast (taken from a Linkedin Live Event) brings the insights and methodologies from our extensive experience directly to you, focusing on the art and science of crafting effective prompts for QA automation. Explore a rich discussion on both the fundamental and advanced strategies that have revolutionized our...

This podcast is based on the presentation I delivered in Miami at the "CX Under the Sun Event" to more than 100 CX professionals who are just beginning their journey with CX AI transformation. During the presentation, I share my views on what is considered "real" regarding AI in the current market, what to be cautious about, and how to initiate AI integration within your organizations. You won't find any unnecessary content or theoretical discussions here. It's all about the essential tools...

As we step into 2024, the realms of Customer Experience (CX), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and contact centers are poised at the brink of transformative change.  Let's explore the exciting, realistic predictions that are shaping the future of these industries. These are part prediction and part wish list for what I would like 2024 to become. If you are looking for USA outsourced customer service or sales support, we here at Expivia would really like to help you support your customers.Please...

Join me, Tom Laird, and John Coulter from Five Star Call Centers, as we journey into a conversation on "Advice from a Call Center Geek." 🔍 Key Highlights: 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸: What does the horizon look like for contact centers in the next two years? We're discussing trends, challenges, and opportunities that await! 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 & 𝗥𝗢𝗜: Which technologies are set to revolutionize contact centers? We're exploring the tools that promise the highest utility and return on...

This podcast episode of "Advice from a Call Center Geek", titled "AI Tools in CX: The Truth about ROI," delves into the practical aspects and return on investment (ROI) of AI technologies in the context of contact centers.   It critically examines various AI tools like large language model chatbots, analytics, agent assist, and auto quality assurance, discussing their suitability, cost implications, and impact on customer experience for different sizes of contact centers.  The episode...

Welcome back to "Advice from a Call Center Geek," the podcast dedicated to enhancing your contact center operations! In today's episode, we dive into the often confusing world of technology for small contact centers. With the holiday season approaching and AI becoming a buzzword, we aim to clarify and simplify your tech choices. Key Points Discussed: Bridging Contact Center Operations and AI: We explore how AI is shaping the industry, moving beyond the hype to practical applications,...

In this episode of "Advice from a Call Center Geek," we jump into expert tips for setting up a successful contact center, drawing from our experiences at Expivia. Learn about optimal team structures, effective management ratios, and strategies that foster efficiency and customer satisfaction.  This episode is a treasure trove for anyone looking to enhance their contact center operations, offering practical advice and insights that can transform your approach to customer service. If you are...

In this episode of "Advice from a Call Center Geek," we dive into a topic that's known for stirring up plenty of debates and strong feelings: CcaaS platforms.  I'm eager to offer my perspective on what's happening in the world of these providers right now. We'll explore the various aspects that make this topic so controversial and why opinions vary widely in the industry.  My aim is to provide you with a detailed understanding of the current landscape, drawing from my experiences and...

Imagine navigating the rapid changes in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How do BPOs need to adapt and evolve to stay competitive in this AI-driven landscape? That's what we're discussing in this enlightening episode, drawing insights from a seminar at the Google campus and exploring the potential of technology to revolutionize contact centers. With a focus on enhancing customer experience (CX), we delve into how technology can be...

This episode is less theory and more "What you need to do!" This audio recording is from the LinkedIn Audio Event we hosted on Friday, November 3, 2023. It's an in-depth discussion that covers all the preliminary steps you should consider before embarking on your journey into Artificial Intelligence.  We also explore the various tools that can significantly enhance your experience and effectiveness in the field. Additionally, the conversation includes insights into some of the most exciting...

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙" NICE's remarkable team flew Tom to New Jersey at the White Eagle Hall,  to step into "The Room Where It Happened," their exclusive video series that casts a spotlight on the pulse and prospects of Customer Experience (CX). There, Tom's own audio narrative brought to life what we regard as one of our most compelling podcast episodes and one of our all time personal favorites! In "The Room Where It Happened," our podcast dives into the transformative role of AI in...

In this episode of Advice from a Call Center Geek, we take you into the keynote speech that Tom gave at the Google Complex in Boulder Colorado to a group of contact center outsourcing company leaders which was sponsored by NICE, Google, and Outsource Consultants. We've transitioned Expivia from just being a "contact center outsourcer" to embracing our role as a "CX technology partner" and give the full case study about this in this episode. The shift in perspective? It's not just about...