Explore every episode of the podcast The Contact Center Gurus
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI, Humans & the Future of CX 🚀 | 03 Oct 2025 | 00:39:07 | |
What happens when AI meets the human side of customer experience? In this episode, we discuss: How to break down silos across voice, email, chat, and social Where AI is making the biggest impact today (agent assist, routing, analytics) Why balancing automation with empathy is the real differentiator How CX leaders can shift from cost centers to revenue drivers Hidden costs of tech sprawl and the smarter way forward Why security and compliance can make or break CX 💡 Pat Reetz, Chief Growth Officer at LinkLive, brings 20+ years of experience in product, marketing, and digital transformation, shaping CX solutions in highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance. 🎧 Subscribe to The Contact Center Gurus Podcast for more insights from CX innovators. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| The AI Secrets Most Companies Don’t Know (Yet) | 12 Sep 2025 | 00:42:25 | |
Host: Darren Prine What can AI really do for enterprises right now? Spoiler: it’s far more than chatbots and hype. In this episode, we dive into real-world wins, missed opportunities, and why leaders can’t afford to “wait and see” when it comes to AI adoption. Key topics include: Enterprise-wide AI impact: beyond ChatGPT How AI solves bottlenecks across knowledge, documents, decisions, and people Case Study 1: A national alarm company saving $1M+ a year on truck rolls Case Study 2: A title agency automating 9 forms for faster closings Co-Pilot vs Autopilot: from AI assist to end-to-end automation The “Star Trek computer” vision—is it closer than we think? Why “wait and see” on AI is a career-limiting move ROI proof: replacing 6+ FTEs with AI for less than the cost of one Guest Bios: Brad Garner – Senior Strategist at Krista, helping organizations unlock enterprise automation and streamline operations. Aaron Symbolik – Head of Solutions at Krista, passionate about translating business needs into AI-powered wins. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Why You Should Stop Shopping for AI | 14 Jan 2022 | 00:34:30 | |
In this episode you will learn how to explain AI in simple business terms to your leadership; why this category of technology is so exciting and deserves all the attention it is getting right now; and why you and your leadership should stop "shopping for AI" solutions or saying "we already have an AI solution". You will learn smart questions to ask AI solution vendors and how to define an initial use case that will produce business value. You will learn how to tell the difference between "real" AI technology that is relevant to you and marketed AI that is meaningless.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Mentorship: Understanding and developing the next generation of Customer Success Leaders | 19 Nov 2021 | 00:23:53 | |
In this podcast you’ll hear about motivations for up and coming CS leaders, the support, structure and touchpoints needed to help them develop and some of the projects that they can look to co-own as part of their development. You can reach Eddie on Linkedin Here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-christian/
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Reducing Turnaround Time To Train Agents With MicroLearning | 17 Nov 2021 | 00:29:43 | |
In this session you will learn ways to create micro learnings in order to train agents on a short program, new process, or a new line in a cost-effective manner and at the same time check for understanding. What is microlearning? How do you create microlearning courses? Is microlearning for everyone? You can reach Mark on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marknick/
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Why Customer Support is No Longer the Red-Headed Stepchild | 17 Nov 2021 | 00:28:11 | |
Summary of what you will learn:
You can reach Emre via Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emretekoglu/
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| AI Adoption Study | 09 Oct 2021 | 00:37:45 | |
The results from the survey will help companies cut through the noise and understand industry best practices. In addition, it will help executives understand: -How they stack up to their peers -Why companies have and haven't adopted AI -What were the results by those who have adopted AI -Cost/benefit data
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Work From Home - The New Office | 09 Oct 2021 | 00:30:00 | |
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Why Contact Center Tech won't save you from Needing Salespeople on the Phones | 09 Oct 2021 | 00:48:56 | |
Today's Episode, you will learn about: - Why your potential customers still want to talk to a salesperson (even though its "dangerous") - Priorities for ensuring your team fundamentally succeeds - When to start thinking about adding technology to scale your sales operation
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Why 79% of Your Team Managers are Poor Coaches and What to Do About It | 09 Oct 2021 | 00:38:45 | |
What You Will Learn:
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| How is AI-Powered Speech Analytics transforming Contact Center Performance | 13 Sep 2021 | 00:49:43 | |
How is AI-Powered Speech Analytics transforming Contact Center Performance What drives changes in CX? What are the most important metrics when it comes to CX? How to combine the power of AI-powered speech analytics and human intelligence to drive better CX and employee performance? Get insights into all these questions in the Podcast. If you can effectively use human intelligence and artificial intelligence, then you can increase customer retention and improve customer experience. Learn more on this from Etech experts.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Customer Support Sucks....But Does It Have To? | 13 Sep 2021 | 00:39:15 | |
In this episode you will learn about a New Support Experience Platform called, Supportlogic.
You can reach John at: john@supportlogic.io www.supportlogic.io SupportLogic uniquely addresses the critical business issues of customer escalations and case backlog, allowing our customers to get in front of their business. The impact is immediate and measurable, directly impacting retention (churn), CSAT scores, and team productivity.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Future of Knowledge Management | Martin Hobratschk | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:27:47 | |
Guest: Host: Episode Overview In this episode, Darren speaks with Martin Hobratschk about the state of knowledge management and how it’s evolving with AI. They cover the real symptoms of broken systems, the business value of doing KM right, and practical steps leaders can take to evaluate, select, and optimize a true knowledge management system. Key Topics The difference between a knowledge base and a true KMS Symptoms of poor KM: repeat customer calls, long agent onboarding, siloed knowledge The role of KMS in remote and BPO environments How AI and automation are transforming knowledge sharing Why knowledge governance is as important as data governance The ROI of effective KM — from faster onboarding to higher CSAT How to evaluate readiness and select the right system Resources Mentioned Martin’s Book: MVP KB: A Practical Guide for Customer Service Knowledge Management Free Assessment Toolkit: https://www.cognita-km.com/toolkit Cognita Knowledge Management: https://www.cognita-km.com Cloud Tech Gurus: https://www.cloudtechgurus.com Connect with Martin Website: https://www.cognita-km.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hobratschk/ Connect with Darren LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenprine/ Website: https://www.cloudtechgurus.com Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Artificial Friction & Empathy | 25 Aug 2021 | 00:53:21 | |
How to maximize deflection while maximizing efficiencies in interactions without creating Artificial Friction. We will discuss how the advent of AI has created new challenges in the Customer Interaction space. Why does decision making with Empathy impact the bottom line.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com
#balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Intro to Artificial Intelligence in the Contact Center | 18 Aug 2021 | 00:55:28 | |
Every contact center leader knows they need an AI strategy, but what exactly are the benefits? AI promises reduced costs, better efficiencies, and a deeper understanding of customer experience if implemented correctly. The question then becomes where to start? How can individuals look into their current contact center and identify which KPI’s they should focus on, how to select a vendor, and how to rally internal teams on this new strategy? Equally important, how do contact center leaders learn to identify what’s real and what’s just hype when it comes to AI, and how do they avoid the pitfalls of a botched AI strategy? Join IV.AI CEO Vince Lynch and Owen McGrath, Head of US Sales, as they unpack the truths and hype surrounding AI in the contact center, and learn how you build on your current AI strategy to ensure long-term success. Contact Info Below: Vince@IV.ai | Owen@IV.ai
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Lean Techniques in the Contact Center | 12 Aug 2021 | 00:25:42 | |
Paul has a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA in Finance from Boston University. Paul's work experience begins as a paratrooper and Infantry officer. After grad school he moved into corporate finance. From a finance role he transitioned into field service engineering operations where he built and operated such organizations. After consulting for a while he yearned for a leadership role again and moved into customer service support and technical support where I have been for the last 15 years. What you will learn today:
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Engaging Contract to Hire Staff in a Tough Contact Center Labor Market | 30 Jul 2021 | 00:36:04 | |
The Phoenix Contact Center market is highly saturated, and post pandemic, it’s like the Wild, Wild, West. There are so many factors outside of our control, it can be disorienting. What can you control and what are the best decisions under the circumstances?
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Next Generation CX with Jeofrey Bean: Why Gen Z Is Rewriting Customer Experience | 14 Aug 2025 | 00:37:00 | |
Welcome & Background – Jeofrey’s journey and why Gen Z is the focus of his new book. Why Gen Z is Changing Everything – habits, buying power, and expectations. The Importance of Trust and Peer Reviews – how Gen Z validates decisions. Customer Experience Intelligence (CXI) – using data and insights to serve Gen Z. Balancing Human Touch and AI – why this generation expects both. Workshop Preview – frameworks and takeaways from the Next Generation CX Workshop. Final Thoughts & Calls to Action – Jeofrey’s three key takeaways. Resources Mentioned: Next Generation Customer Experience Workshop: https://bit.ly/NexGenCXFL Del Mar Research: https://delmarresearch.com/ Next Generation Customer Experience (Book by Jeofrey Bean): https://a.co/d/5jdqTe2 Connect with the Guests: Jeofrey Bean – LinkedIn | Website Darren Prine – LinkedIn | Cloud Tech Gurus Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Customer Success Myth Buster – Separating Fake News from Reality | 24 May 2022 | 00:28:41 | |
While the book(s) on Customer Success were already written years ago, embracing Customer Success is still a challenge for many CEO’s and CSL’s. In a sea of opinions, it is easy to follow those who tell you what you like to hear and call uncomfortable messages Fake News.
Follow the lead of the Usain Bolt’s and Tom Brady’s in Customer Success and learn a handful of strategies to achieve 28% higher Net Revenue retention.
#Balto #SupportLogic #Ozonetel #CloudTechGurus Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| How Do You Fix a Fast Moving Train | 24 May 2022 | 00:52:21 | |
About Vicki Brackett Recognized as a subject-matter operations expert on virtual/work-at-home environments and leadership development, Vicki Brackett has written for and been interviewed by Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune Magazine, CFO Magazine, CEOWorld, HR News, Woman Diversity, Training Magazine, ICMI, Contact Center Pipeline and a host of other publications, news outlets and podcasts on creative work-at-home, leadership and employee engagement strategies. Vicki is the author of ‘The Leadership Toolbox - Manage Less Achieve More,’ a book about her experience leading contact center organizations from 200 to 2000+ people across industries ranging from consumer technology, education, automotive, cosmetics, nutrition & other consumer products. Her book showcases a systematic approach to leadership that can transform organizations into top-performing status at an accelerated pace, where employees love coming to work, are engaged & help move the organization forward. Vicki Brackett is the architect of Virtual Live Labs™, a transformative methodology, that combines interactive consulting and leadership development, simultaneously, to drive operational excellence and increased leadership skills for all levels of leadership, including front-line supervisors. Results include: • Higher employee engagement and performance • Accelerated employee retention • Reductions in employee absenteeism • Increased employee productivity/utilization • Higher customer satisfaction • Increased sales revenue • More bottom-line contribution This systematic approach accelerates improvement to KPIs in both work-at-home and hybrid environments by integrating Virtual First™ leadership tools. Organizations become more nimble, and able to maneuver through the current, ever-changing business climate. Leaders become active leaders and learn to break down challenges, coordinate viable solutions across teams, & execute - with results that can be measured.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Innovations Driving The Contact Center | 15 Feb 2022 | 00:42:59 | |
Things you will learn in this episode:
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Cultural and Employee Engagement | 15 Feb 2022 | 00:27:54 | |
Hear how a national non-profit organization nearly doubled their internal NPS employee satisfaction score by using proven tools and concepts to address and improve their agency's culture and by using technology to assist in employee engagement in a nearly 100% remote working environment. Short list of how we live our culture of KCAs (Key Cultural Attributes)
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| The Great Resignation: How we can leverage AI & Gig Workers | 14 Jan 2022 | 00:40:27 | |
In This episode you will learn how the Great Resignation is effecting many companies around the world and what are some things we can do to ease the squeeze.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Ready or Not, Here Comes The Cloud | 14 Jan 2022 | 00:52:57 | |
In this episode, you will learn how the Pandemic has significantly accelerated the movement from premises to cloud deployments for CX, as well as tactful strategies and approaches to migrating. * Enterprise Cloud Adoption * Embrace vs Stay the Path * Care is the New Sales * What the Cloud Delivers Today * And More You can reach Lance at: Lance.Fried@Thrio.com Thrio’s groundbreaking CCaaS platform features robotic process automation, inbound and outbound voice engines, a complete suite of digital channels (email, chat, SMS, social), and a range of built in AI tools. Thrio offers an API-first architecture and array of security certifications that make it a strong choice for complex and high-volume environments. Thrio’s team of contact center experts develop and market cutting-edge technology that sets a new standard for reliability in contact centers. To learn more, please visit Thrio.com.
Episode Sponsors www.supportlogic.io www.balto.ai/guru www.ozonetel.com www.cloudtechgurus.com #balto #supportlogic #ozonetel #cloudtechgurus #cx #customerexperience #contactcenter #AI #NLP #CCaaS #QA #QM Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| From AI Chaos to Customer Confidence: Building Virtual Agents That Actually Work | 18 Dec 2025 | 00:46:32 | |
Guest: Adam Fenwick, SVP Global Alliances, Boost.ai Topic: Conversational AI in contact centers Focus: Strategy, design, regulation, and scale Audience: CX leaders, contact center executives, IT and digital leaders Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Modern Knowledge Management: Unlocking Real CX Results | 04 Dec 2025 | 00:35:20 | |
Guest: Tyler Dixon, SVP of Sales at LivePro Connect with us: Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| Automation and AI in Support: Keeping the Human Touch | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:30:33 | |
This episode dives deep into the balance between automation and human connection in modern customer support. Dan O’Connell, CEO of Front, joins Darren Prine to unpack how Front powers over 9,000 businesses to deliver seamless, personalized service at scale — using AI the right way. From breaking silos to redefining collaboration, Dan explains why the best companies are moving toward unified customer operations platforms that combine AI efficiency with human empathy. 💬 Key Takeaways: Don’t automate for the sake of automating — start small, scale smart A single platform can power every channel: chat, email, voice, and social Unified inboxes improve visibility, collaboration, and agent confidence AI should enhance relationships, not replace them 🎧 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CTt1y0gyWMo Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||
| The Analytics Advantage: Why the Right QA Solution Defines Your CX Success | 09 Oct 2025 | 00:26:03 | |
Can analytics turn your contact center from a cost center into a driver of revenue and loyalty? In this conversation, Darren Prine and Jim Iyoob explore the new era of QA, one that’s powered by AI, data, and predictive insights. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why QA must evolve from checking boxes to changing behaviors How predictive coaching helps agents improve before they fail What happens when analytics connect performance to outcomes How the right QA solution delivers measurable ROI and customer loyalty Why data security and trust are essential in modern CX 💡 About Jim Iyoob: 🎧 Subscribe to The Contact Center Gurus Podcast for more insights from CX innovators. Produced by Darren Prine and the Cloud Tech Gurus team. Subscribe for more insights from industry leaders. | |||