Blazing New Trails

Abstract:
Join us for an engaging exploration of tech-driven predictions and their profound impacts on companies and consumers. Discover key developments shaping the future, gain insight into where to focus your efforts—and leave with a series of strategic imperatives to enhance your success.

Action Items:

• Leverage the new opportunities emerging from transformative developments
• Evaluate needed buy-in and resources to future-proof initiatives
• Prioritize actionable strategies from a series of strategic imperatives

Headliner:

CK Kerley
Keynoter, Futurist & Instructor – Rutgers Business School
allthingsCK
 
Why You Should Listen to CK:
​Powerhouse keynoter, Rutgers Business School Instructor, and Corporate Trainer Christina “CK” Kerley has guided scores of Fortune 500s—and thousands of executives—through 25 years of digital disruptions, revolutions, and reinventions. She’s currently focused on: AI, The Tech Megatrends, and whatever’s coming next. More info at: https://allthingsCK.com

Abstract:
Many leaders worry their organizations lack the foundation to effectively implement advanced capabilities and fall behind the AI curve. This session explores a strategic approach to AI investment, from prerequisites like data unification, to partnering with providers who make AI work within your unique environments, to maximizing tomorrow’s AI.

Action Items:

• Identify obstacles preventing leadership from investing in advanced AI capabilities
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to establish a shared understanding of your organization’s AI maturity level and develop a roadmap to address gaps
• Evaluate and score solutions that will directly address identified obstacles and accelerate your organization’s AI maturity level

Fab Facilitators:

Stephen Lotz
Vice President of Customer Experience
Discover Financial Services
 
Why You Should Listen to Stephen:
Stephen has served as a Customer Experience champion for over 30 years and is an accomplished leader and advocate for simplifying the Customer and Employee experience. In his current role, he leads the Customer Experience Office and is responsible for all aspects of service quality delivery and measurement.
 
Sean Minter
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
AmplifAI
 
Why You Should Listen to Sean:
Sean is a strategic visionary dedicated to elevating large organizations by harnessing the synergy of AI, people, and processes. Sean believes that people are at the heart of every successful transformation, and that tomorrow’s great transformation will be driven by those augmented by the right technology.

Abstract:
Agent Experience continues to be directly correlated to Customer Experience. With Generative AI, we explore the world where AI and Agents co-exist to deliver productivity, proficiency, and expertise to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Action Items:

• Identify insights from your current customer journey to further drill down into specific areas of agent friction, burnout, and frustrations
• Build a roadmap to leverage AI, ML, Gen AI to design for a frictionless experience with Humans in the center
• Empower Agents and build their trust for the co-existence of Humans and Intelligent Bots

Fab Facilitators:

Vikesh Vaswani
Senior Vice President, Customer Care Strategy and Operations
Altice USA
 
Why You Should Listen to Vikesh:
With over two decades of experience and a deep passion for enhancing Customer Experience, Vikesh is an accomplished leader in customer service management. In his current role, he spearheads customer care operations across Optimum’s telecommunications portfolio, ensuring exceptional service and satisfaction for their clients.
 
Abhinandan Jain
Chief Growth Officer
Startek
 
Why You Should Listen to Abhinandan:
Abhinandan is a visionary leader with extensive expertise in leveraging technology disruption, including AI/Gen AI, automation, cloud computing and analytics, across diverse industries. His profound experience in driving digital solutions and revenue growth, coupled with his active engagement in community initiatives and thought leadership, positions him as a compelling voice on customer experience and contact center management.
 

Abstract:
Discover how predictive workforce planning can significantly boost productivity and reduce carry costs. Join us for an insightful fireside chat followed by engaging roundtable discussions to explore actionable strategies that you can implement in your organization.

Action Items:

• Develop Agile Workforce Strategies: Discover methods or partnerships to build and cultivate an agile workforce that can swiftly adapt to changing business needs and reduce carry costs
• Evaluate and Optimize Processes: Gain insights on evaluating your current workforce processes and optimizing them to enhance productivity and reduce unnecessary expenditures
• Implement Predictive Analytics: Learn how to integrate predictive analytics into your workforce planning to forecast demand accurately and allocate resources efficiently

Fab Facilitators:

Greg Hanover
Chief Executive Officer
Liveops
 
Why You Should Listen to Greg:
Greg is the CEO of Liveops, where he leads the company in transforming how businesses manage customer service through flexible, on-demand workforces. With over a decade of executive leadership experience, Greg has been CEO since 2017, driving innovation in remote work solutions. He is also passionate about giving back, dedicating time to volunteering with Boxer Rescue.
 
David Parkhurst
Senior Vice President Business Development
Liveops
 
Why You Should Listen to David:
David brings over two decades of expertise in global, remote CX outsourcing and technologies. His deep knowledge in predictive workforce planning and flexible service models has helped numerous organizations boost productivity and reduce carry costs, making him a trusted leader in optimizing remote operations.
 

Abstract:

In this interactive session, we’ll explore how conversational voice AI is more than just a tool for reducing call volume—it’s a powerful asset for improving First Contact Resolution (FCR) and leveraging valuable customer insights. We’ll dive into the ROI of voice AI, offering a fresh perspective on its broader business impact, and best practices for quantifying the impact of conversational AI on your organization.

Action Items:

• Rethink the benefits of conversational AI beyond just call reduction
• Share real life examples of how customers have used the insights from voice assistants to implement changes that drive outsized business value
• Build out the ROI story of conversational voice AI and the strategy to unlock its full potential

Fab Facilitators:

Ian Roberts
Director of Care Operations & Technology
Quicken
 
Why You Should Listen to Ian:
Over the past 27 years, Ian has been in executive and senior management roles in Customer Care for the following brands: America Online, TurboTax, Mint, and Quicken. Currently, he is directly responsible for delivering technology focused on AI to Quicken’s customers, while ensuring that it’s accretive to enhancing the customer experience.
 
Steven Fine
Senior Value Consultant
PolyAI
 
Why You Should Listen to Steven:
At PolyAI, Steven has spearheaded the development of the Value Function, collaborating with customers to quantify the impact of conversational AI on their organizations. Drawing on insights from recent customer deployments, he has successfully helped over 20 enterprise contact centers build business cases, leading to successful AI implementations over the past two years

Hosted By:

Tisa Sinclair
Director, Social Response
AARP
 

Why You Should Listen to Tisa:
Tisa’s work experience has given her the opportunity to engage in several areas of communications—from public relations to customer care and digital marketing, working for major brands like Delta, CBS, and Accenture. As Director of Social Response for AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit whose mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age, Tisa leads the team that forges the ongoing social care strategies, processes, and official responses to members and non-members as they interact with AARP’s digital content.

Hosted By:

Chad Anderson
Vendor Manager of Customer Care Operations
Mercedes-Benz USA

Why You Should Listen to Chad:
Chad has over 25 years of experience in the contact center industry, excelling in developing and managing high-performing teams. His deep knowledge of efficient customer service strategies and innovative technologies has consistently increased customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Chad’s dedication to continuous improvement and exceptional results makes him a trusted expert in contact center management.

Hosted By:

Heidi Rote
Vice President of Member Relations
Parsley Health
 
Why You Should Listen to Heidi:
Heidi is a seasoned sales leader with over 20 years of experience, known for her expertise in process improvement and call center implementation. She has a proven track record in reducing member churn, implementing AI to enhance customer interactions, and driving significant growth.

Hosted By:

Jeff Grant
Senior Technology Consultant, Enterprise Contact Center
Southwest Airlines
 
Why You Should Listen to Jeff:
Jeff has dedicated his IT career to bringing known and unknown technology and product capabilities to his Customers. It is his goal to align the organizations goals and visions with his products to create the best possible Customer experience. It is a journey. Sometimes there can be turbulence and delays. At the end of the day we all strive to be better than what we were yesterday and to leave our Customers smiling.

Hosted By:

Brenda Wilbur
Senior Vice President, Client Engagement Center
Banner Bank
Customer Engagement Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to Brenda:
Brenda is a seasoned call center executive with over 25 years of customer service experience with 15 of those specific to the Contact Center industry. She also has a technical background that was acquired while working in the Information Systems industry for 10 years. Brenda has spent the last 6 years modernizing the contact center through technology implementations coupled with a continuous improvement focus.

Abstract:
Explore ways to prioritize executive strategies that enhance the customer experience and elevate contact center operations through modernizing technology. Delve into actionable insights that can be leveraged when conducting a gap analysis, aligning objectives, and assessing cutting-edge technology to create a customer-centric culture and improved customer experience.

Action Items:

• Implement data-driven decision-making processes to align with business and customer objectives
• Integrate advanced customer service technologies, such as AI, to improve operational efficiency
• Foster a culture of empathy and understanding to ensure customer-centric interactions and motivated call center agents

Rockstar Insight:

Susan Weaver
Chief Customer Officer
Slavic401k
 
 Why You Should Listen to Susan:
Susan’s career progression over the past 25+ years from a front-line processor and call center representative to Chief Customer Officer has been a profound and rewarding learning experience. Her innovative approach to contact center operations and relationship management has redefined the importance of the customer experience at Slavic401k. By consistently placing the customer at the heart of every decision, Susan has fostered a culture of empathy, accountability, and excellence, achieving outstanding results for both the business and the customers they serve.

Abstract:
This interactive session focuses on forging the path to successful deployment of Conversational AI within the Contact Center, specifically replacing live agents with full automation. While claims of full automation are compelling, deployments are falling woefully short of expectations. We will discuss how to leverage lessons learned from other industries.

Action Items:

• Build a multi-staged approach to full automation that moves from AI-assisted agents to agent-assisted AI and eventually to full automation
• Identify company and customer benefits to be achieved at each stage, providing ROI and other benefits long before full automation
• Develop a proposal for your organization identifying the objection, approach, and benefits

Fab Facilitator:

Art Coombs
President & Chief Executive Officer
KomBea
 

Why You Should Listen to Art:
Art has held leadership positions with global firms and their call/BPO centers worldwide for the past thirty-five years. Currently, he is the president and CEO of a company he founded. Art has worked for 20+ years developing and marketing tools that blend human intelligence and automation to improve call center phone interactions.

Abstract:
In this interactive session, we will explore how a successful knowledge management strategy is pivotal for organizational efficiency and employee satisfaction. By prioritizing the perspective of those who interact with knowledge assets daily, organizations can optimize their KM strategies for better outcomes.

Action Items:

• Design your KM strategies to prioritize the needs and experiences of agents
• Execute on techniques to construct a persuasive business case that highlights the tangible benefits of investing in KM
• Identify, engage, and manage your strategic stakeholders to ensure broad support and successful implementation of KM initiatives

Fab Facilitators:

Travis DeWolf
Senior Manager, Digital Initiatives Delivery
RBC Insurance
 
Why You Should Listen to Travis:
Travis is an energetic and solutions minded leader, working in the insurance industry for 8 years. Travis leads a team of digital initiative delivery specialists at RBC Insurance responsible for change management, execution, and process design, as well as promotion of digital tools. Expert at executing on complex initiatives and building value for stakeholders to ensure cohesion and adoption and thinking outside the box to find digital solutions to everyday problems.
 
Charlene Judge
Senior Director, Digital Product Management
RBC Insurance
 
Why You Should Listen to Charlene:
Charlene has more than 18 years of experience in the financial services industry and leads a digital product management team at RBC Insurance responsible for the design, delivery, and optimization of digital products across the insurance value chain.  Driven by curiosity and inspired by innovation, she has a keen interest in technology, product management, client centricity, process simplification and change management. Charlene is also a member of the Board of Directors for Breast Cancer Canada.
 
Jaclyn Lo
Senior Customer Success Manager
ProcedureFlow
 
Why You Should Listen to Jaclyn:
Jaclyn is a CX leader specializing in onboarding, digital adoption, and change management strategies within Contact Centers. Passionate about employee empowerment and driving sustainable results, her expertise lies in identifying potential roadblocks, managing stakeholders, and implementing effective communication plans to drive successful software implementations.

Abstract:
In this forward-thinking session, we will delve into strategies and practices essential for future-proofing your Customer Experience (CX) operations. We will explore robust frameworks designed to anticipate and integrate market changes, shifts in consumer behavior, and advancements in tech (including GAI) – all to ensure your CX organization remains adaptable and impactful today and tomorrow. We will uncover practical ways to deliver operational efficiencies and enhance customer satisfaction with a human-centric approach.

Action Items:

• Practice Design Thinking in CX: Implement methods to create adaptable CX models, processes, and teams for your business
• Identify pinpoints to continuous opportunities for better delivery as the role of your frontline evolves
• Think differently about emerging technology in DX and the concrete ways to it to transform operations and enhance customer interactions
• Leverage a template provided to assess your service delivery model, its maturity level, and how to synchronize your entire service delivery network around your transformation efforts

Fab Facilitator:

Amit Shankardass
Chief Marketing Officer
VXI Global Solutions
 
Why You Should Listen to Amit:
Amit has more than 20 years of experience in the CX industry, having steered growth programs for some of the largest BPOs in the world. His experience includes the design of products and services to ensure CX organizations remain impactful today and adapt for tomorrow.

Abstract:
Self-service adoption has been a top priority for more than a decade. So why haven’t we achieved success? It’s because we’re working toward the wrong goal! It’s not about adoption. 89% of service journeys start in self-service so customers have already adopted it as their primary interaction channel. But only 12% succeed. It’s resolution that’s elusive in self-service and THAT is the goal to aim for.

Action Items:

• Identify the top reasons why your customers may be failing to resolve their issues in self-service
• Implement tactics that have proven effective in driving resolution
• Collaborate with your team on concrete ways to leverage AI and GenAI to support resolution goals

Fab Facilitator:

Juanita Olguin
Senior Director of Product Marketing
Coveo
 
Why You Should Listen to Juanita:
With over 15 years of diverse experience, Juanita has successfully led key initiatives, including establishing offshore centers in India and Guatemala, launching innovative solutions, and crafting go-to-market strategies. Juanita is dedicated to helping enterprises navigate advanced technologies while empowering employees to drive meaningful change within their organizations.

Abstract:
American National has stopped looking at their call center and self-service platforms separately and taken a customer-centric, holistic approach through a unified SAFe Agile approach. Learn how this has increased speed to market, improved customer satisfaction and aligned teams across the organization to drive real business results.

Action Items:

• Consolidate contact center/self-service platform strategies
• Establish unified set of KPIs to align teams around common goals and success metrics
• Pursue Agile development to increase speed to market and drive results

Rockstar Insight:

Scott Campbell
Senior Vice President, Chief Client Experience and Corporate Communications Officer
American National
Customer Engagement Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to Scott:
As Chief Client Experience Officer, Scott Campbell leads American National’s service center operations, UX/UI practice, client insights program and the company’s strategic innovation efforts. With 25 years of experience, he brings a passion for driving client satisfaction and brand growth through outstanding experiences.

Abstract:
Technology is an enabler but it can only get you so far. Strengthening the human element in cross-departmental teams is key, as is empowering your agents to tackle complex resolution challenges. Uncover strategies to nurture CX champions at each touchpoint and work cross-organizationally to drive meaningful CX outcomes.

Key Take-Aways:

• Develop a vision to drive your efforts
• Define metrics to measure your success
• Identify potential stakeholder champions you can leverage to grow your influence

Rockstar Insight:

Jason DaCosta
Senior Vice President, Customer Operations
Alarm.com
 
Why You Should Listen to Jason:
Jason is a transformational leader and customer service practitioner, having built contact centers and their operations from scratch to scale. He focuses on building processes and best practices from a foundation of continuous ongoing improvement by pushing teams to deliver “best in the world” outcomes, while identifying opportunities to innovate by leveraging new and dynamic technology.

Abstract:
Bring an open mind to this session as Aarthi challenges you to stretch the way you think about deepening your customer relationships.

Action Items:

• Scrutinize your mission and strategy – do you know who you are and what you want to be and hence do you have an actionable strategy?
• Ask your team questions about organizational pace and scale
• How might you activate a relationship oriented model while maintaining transactional needs
• Nurture real-time conversations with your customers to uncover existing opportunities to add value as well as unmet or adjacent ones to grow the relationship

Headliner:

Aarthi Murali
Executive Vice President
Holman
 

Why You Should Listen to Aarthi:
Aarthi brings a wealth of customer experience expertise culled from a distinguished career in the financial sector. During her 20-plus year career in the industry, she led large-scale human-centered transformation programs for iconic organizations including JP Morgan Chase and most recently as M&T Bank’s first Chief Customer Experience Officer prior to joining Holman. Aarthi was ranked among the Top 50 CX Influencers of 2024 by CX Network, awarded American Banker’s Most powerful Women to Watch in Banking.

Abstract:
It feels like you can barely open your laptop these days without being bombarded by emails and ads telling you that Generative AI and LLMs will solve all of your customer service problems. While these advancements are powerful, it’s not that simple. To truly meet the demands of your customers, which are higher than ever in 2024, human and AI collaboration is key. This strategy is known as Human-in-the-Loop, and it enables you to improve CX self-service, cultivate customer loyalty, and lead the way in CX innovation.

Action Items:

• Assess Human in the Loop technology’s potential to cut your AHT, improve your CSAT and make millions for your company
• Techniques on how to better leverage the contact center tools you’re already invested in
• Plan to supplement and train advanced Generative AI technologies with Human in the Loop
• Collaborate with your team on best practices you can implement in your own organization

Fab Facilitator:

Lisa Michaud, Ph.D.
Director – Product Management
Interactions
 

Why You Should Listen to Lisa:
Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and spent more than 20 years in Natural Language Processing research, during which she published and presented in multiple International journals, workshops, and conferences on the topics of NLP and user modeling. She now is an established thought leader and public speaker on the application of conversational AI toward creating excellent customer experiences.

Abstract:
When employees don’t feel valued or motivated to do meaningful work, the negative impacts are deep and wide. But where should leaders focus to make sustainable change? This interactive session cuts to the core of employee apathy and arms leaders with actions that transform the perception of contact center work.

Action Items:

• Identify the root causes of employee apathy and how to address the early indicators
• Establish more impactful methods for understanding employee sentiment, motivators, and detractors
• Clarify and strengthen the connection between employee purpose and business goals

Fab Facilitator:

Justin Robbins
Founder and Principal Analyst
Metric Sherpa
 

Why You Should Listen to Justin:
Justin has over 20 years of experience in customer experience and contact center operations, helping organizations improve interactions and drive measurable growth. As the Founder and Principal Analyst of Metric Sherpa, he delivers strategic insights that bridge the gap between CX solutions and real customer needs.

Abstract:
The manual nature of Quality Assurance can be slow and statistically insignificant, making it difficult to generate meaningful improvements in a timely manner. With Large Language Models (LLMs), contact centers can now analyze 100% of an agent’s interactions and provide real-time feedback—a game-changer in taking data-driven action.

Action Items:

• Get buy-in from decision-makers and help overcome the uncertainty of AI
• Identify how you can leverage LLMs to transform your Quality Assurance (QA) game
• Rethink how you can demonstrate value of implementing a solution
• Apply practical approach to implementing and testing in your contact center

Fab Facilitators:

Marigen Garza
Director Live Operations
Rappi
 
Why You Should Listen to Marigen:
Marigen is a transformative leader with over 17 years of experience in customer service across diverse industries including finance, insurance, and technology. She has a proven track record of driving organizational success through strategic leadership, process improvement, and operational efficiency. Marigen excels in developing and implementing innovative e-strategies, fostering team excellence, and optimizing human resources. She holds a Master’s degree in human Capital Management and has successfully led teams in complex environments, consistently delivering exceptional results and elevating organizational performance.
 
Matt Nelson
Chief Information Officer
Alta Resources
 
Why You Should Listen to Matt:
Matt, a seasoned CIO in the BPO space, demystifies the world of AI with clarity and insight. His pragmatic and approachable style, along with his ability to simplify complex technology concepts makes him a welcome voice in learning how to apply innovation to your own organization.

Abstract:
You can take a comprehensive approach to understanding the voice of the customer by considering many tools and methodologies available, including Customer Health Score, Churn Rate, Customer Effort Score, and NPS, to name a few. We will explore how adding AI to ascertain customer sentiment may boost these popular satisfaction metrics.

Action Items:

• Develop a fresh approach to intelligent routing and the judicious use of AI to reduce overall friction for customers
• Rethink how transactions play out by introducing agent-facing knowledge helpers, automatic summarization, and sentiment analysis
• Identify and evaluate different approaches, test new metrics, and embrace automation

Fab Facilitator:

Edwin Margulies
Chief Evangelist
Nextiva
 

Why You Should Listen to Edwin:
Edwin is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about customer experience (CX), usability, and human factors engineering. Over the course of 45 years, he has authored 18 books, many of which focus on customer satisfaction, including “Mastering the Customer Experience,” “How to Audit and Benchmark Your Voice Response System,” and the “Web Site Usability Almanac”.

Abstract:

Panelists will walk you through their unique use cases and the key stages of their AI journey—from initial planning and deployment to ongoing optimization. Discover what strategies proved effective, which pitfalls to avoid, and how AI is transforming operations in real-world scenarios. Learn from these esteemed panelists’ experiences to better understand how AI can work for you.

Moderator:

Cippy Seidler
Director, Consumer Care Center
Banner Health
 
Why You Should Listen to Cippy:
Speaking to and working with many diverse contact groups around the world has inspired and enlightened Cippy. It has brought positivity, new ideas and creativity to an already open mind about the importance and truly critical nature of the contact center environments. She has worked most of her career in Retail and Health Care contact centers helping others appreciate why internal and external customer service and brand loyalty begins in the contact center.
 

Panelists Include:

Heather Arthur
Vice President, Canada Contact Centres
Scotiabank
 
Why You Should Listen to Heather:
Heather is a dynamic customer experience and sales industry expert with over two decades of experience. An award-winning professional and certified NLP practitioner, Heather is also the host of the Say YES Movement podcast, inspiring individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.
 
Jeff Grant
Senior Technology Consultant, Enterprise Contact Center
Southwest Airlines
 
Why You Should Listen to Jeff:
Jeff has dedicated his IT career to bringing known and unknown technology and product capabilities to his Customers. It is his goal to align the organizations goals and visions with his products to create the best possible Customer experience. It is a journey. Sometimes there can be turbulence and delays. At the end of the day we all strive to be better than what we were yesterday and to leave our Customers smiling.
 
Andy Lisk
Vice President, Global Head of Customer Service
StockX
 
Why You Should Listen to Andy:
Andy has spent 30+ years in Customer Experience in both Financial Services and e-Commerce, driving tremendous results that benefit customers, teammates, and the company. Globally, he has leveraged technology to reduce Contact Rate by 70% and is currently testing GenAI to further improve the customer experience while reducing costs. Creating scalable and repeatable customer experiences via technology that provide fantastic personalized solutions is the highest priority for him today.
 
Ben Narramore
Director of Operations/Service Management
PlayStation
 
Why You Should Listen to Ben:
Ben is a dedicated and accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in service management. Currently at PlayStation, Ben directs highly skilled teams in the Network Operations Center, where they implement cutting-edge monitoring tools and manage critical services. The work is characterized by a relentless pursuit of operational excellence and customer-focused solutions. This dedication not only enhances the user experience but also reflects their core value of driving industry standards ever-forward.
 

Hosted by:

Jerry Howe
Vice President of Global Marketplace Support
Turo
 
Why You Should Listen to Jerry:
With over 30 years in the high-tech sector, Jerry has passionately transformed customer care organizations globally, an obsession evident from pivotal leadership roles at McAfee, Intel, Airbnb, OfferUp, and Turo. Deeply invested in optimizing customer journeys, Jerry focuses on amplifying productivity and profitability, especially within startups and high-growth companies. Beyond building top-tier teams that prioritize culture and collaboration, Jerry is an innovator who has set new standards in holistic customer experience.
 

Hosted by:

Tom Jackson
Systems Manager, Telephony Platforms
Western & Southern Financial Group
 
Why You Should Listen to Tom:
With over 3 decades in Contact Center Technology and Operations, Tom has significant experience across Retail, Direct Selling and e-Commerce sectors. He specializes in solving problems, driving long-term value through innovation and delivering complex SaaS/Cloud solutions to the business.
 

Hosted by:

Jennifer Bloomfield
Director, Customer Service
Empower Pharmacy

Why You Should Listen to Jennifer:
Jennifer is the Director of Customer Experience at Empower Pharmacy, the largest 503A compounding pharmacy and FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility in the nation, dedicated to personalized medicine. Empower Pharmacy is committed to transforming lives through innovative medications, working collaboratively towards a healthier, happier future for all. In her position, with more than 15 years of leadership experience in healthcare, Jennifer is focused on driving positive customer experiences across the continuum of care. 

Hosted By:

Heidi Rote
Vice President of Member Relations
Parsley Health
 
Why You Should Listen to Heidi:
Heidi is a seasoned sales leader with over 20 years of experience, known for her expertise in process improvement and call center implementation. She has a proven track record in reducing member churn, implementing AI to enhance customer interactions, and driving significant growth.

Hosted by:

Sebastian Cosgrove
Director, Global Customer Service
Air Canada Cargo
 
Why You Should Listen to Sebastian:
Sebastian started his career as a flight attendant with Air Canada and has held progressively more senior roles within the organization on both the passenger and cargo side of the airline. Sebastian launched Air Canada’s enterprise social media platform and supported in the development of Customer Service at Cargo. Today, the Customer Service department includes multiple Service Centres across Canada and the United States as well as post-customer care.
 

Hosted by:

Clancey Dollard
Director, 24/7 Support Center
University of Arizona
 
Why You Should Listen to Clancey:
Building teams that improve the lives of their customers is a passion for Clancey. As a Certified HDI Support Center Director, Clancey has the understanding and experience for what it takes to provide meaningful customer experiences. One of his strengths is his deep understanding of small contact center (<100 agents) operations.
 

Abstract:
Discover groundbreaking AI techniques and innovative operational strategies that will transform your customer interactions, propelling your business into a new era of personalized excellence!

Action Items:

• Identify opportunities to create a unique experience for your customers with AI capabilities
• Transform your customer experience to create a competitive edge in your industry
• Reimagine customer experience with more effective tools, processes and thought leading practices

Fab Facilitator:

Matthew Carracher
Chief Operating Officer
AcquireBPO
 

Why You Should Listen to Matthew:
With a career spanning over two decades in the BPO industry, Matthew brings a wealth of experience and insight to the forefront of customer experience innovation. Matthew is responsible for driving strategy, streamlining operations, and maximizing performance in global HR processes, compliance, and workforce management. His expertise lies in transforming traditional customer service models into dynamic, AI-driven experiences. Matthew has a proven track record of providing invaluable insights and actionable strategies to elevate customer experience to unprecedented levels.

Abstract:
This interactive discussion rethinks the integration of technology and human touch in your omnichannel strategies, identifying the critical role top-performing agents play in driving satisfaction, retention, and revenue. It offers innovative approaches to leverage these agents’ strengths effectively.

Action Items:

• Identify why personalized engagement is more important than ever
• Craft a CX experience with an emphasis on premium agent interaction
• Build an emotionally connected agent team
• Communicate the key steps to nurture empathy within your agent team

Fab Facilitator:

Ian Tempro
Chief Operating Officer
IA Solutions
 

Why You Should Listen to Ian:
As an industry veteran with 20 years of experience in steering contact center operations, Ian’s leadership as COO of Insta Answer has been instrumental in incorporating service focused technology to drive improved customer engagement. He is committed to helping brands reach their CX goals and is recognized for his ability to build truly bespoke programs across diverse industries.

Abstract:
Cut through the AI hype and discover how to leverage AI Knowledge Management for faster resolution. Discuss practical strategies to integrate AI without disrupting your established KM systems, ensuring a smooth and value-driven evolution.

Action Items:

• Eliminate misconceptions about AI (no, it won’t make coffee or do your taxes… yet)
• Identify AI opportunities that complement your existing KM ecosystem
• Implement a measured-value-driven approach to AI adoption

Fab Facilitator:

Samantha Middlebrook
Vice President of Product Strategy & Marketing
Upland Software
 

Why You Should Listen to Samantha:
Samantha, the bridge between tech and business teams, is a passionate CX and KM strategist. Her mantra is you can’t throw technology at a business problem and hope it sticks; focusing instead on human-centered design and curating memorable moments for customers through every interaction they have with a business.

Abstract:
NPS is the holy grail of customer satisfaction and retention. It may be easy to benchmark and track responses, but that does not mean it’s always easy to understand NPS results and how to improve them. How you effectively respond to Voice of the Customer insights and foster collaboration across the organization can lead to meaningful changes in customer loyalty. In this session, we will explore how a blended approach to NPS impacts customer loyalty and provide strategic approaches to help you understand how to steer your efforts in the right direction. We will explore other key indicators that can also drive success and provide you with effective methods to harness information and tools to elevate your customer engagement.

Action Items:

• Grasp the psychology behind NPS and install metrics that measure loyalty and satisfaction
• Harmonize people, processes and technology to create an empowered NPS strategy capable of delivering greater value to internal stakeholders, colleagues, partners and customers
• Leverage tools to communicate the value of NPS to internal and external stakeholders

Rockstar Insight:

Chris Goostree
Contact Strategist
Alleviate Financial Solutions
 

Why You Should Listen to Chris:
Chris is a proven Contact Center leader with expertise in driving performance and efficiencies within a sales and/or customer service setting. Specializing in developing teams with a focus on the agent and customer experience has led to successful teams with low turnover in multiple industries.

Abstract:
Are you ready to say yes to setting goals that you and your team have never achieved before? Then join us to unlock the potential of your entire team as you learn how to step powerfully into goal setting and planning for 2025.

Action Items:

• Mindset Transformation: Discover how to overcome self-doubt and fear by saying yes to getting out of your comfort zone
• Reflect on Your Achievements: Take stock of your accomplishments in 2024, celebrating your successes and identifying areas for growth
• Know your WHY: Focus on your “WHY” and learn how to trust that the “How” always shows up
• Visualize The Future You: Learn strategies to break free from your comfort zone and embrace the unknown

Rockstar Insight:

Heather Arthur
Vice President, Canada Contact Centres
Scotiabank
 
Why You Should Listen to Heather:
Heather is a dynamic customer experience and sales industry expert with over two decades of experience. An award-winning professional and certified NLP practitioner, Heather is also the host of the Say YES Movement podcast, inspiring individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.

Abstract:
Walt Disney said it best, many, many years ago – “we can ill afford to rest on our laurels, even pause in retrospect. . . .” In today’s ever-changing environments, our organizational culture must be clearly defined and cemented into the minds and on the hearts of all team members / employees, in order to retain top-tier talent, maintain productivity and drive revenue & growth. Excited to share conversation on how we intentionally build a thriving culture.

Action Items:

• Re-establish {reinforce} elements of employee engagement
• Discuss the elements – people, place, process – that must be aligned to generate performance or sustain your desired culture
• Share examples of characteristics that help build a thriving culture {genuine care}

Rockstar Insight:

Kevin Gober
Senior Director, Arena Talent Experience
Miami HEAT
 

Why You Should Listen to Kevin:
KG, throughout his extensive leadership journey, has consistently demonstrated a passion for people by developing, inspiring and motivating them, at every level of the organization, to achieve their very best. Aligning the culture between front-line team members and Executive leaders, within organizations he has served, has successfully created, and sustained strong, productive cultures.

Abstract:
In reflection, why am I CX obsessed? Why are any of us dedicated to a career in customer satisfaction and experience? I believe that past is prologue, history is relevant, and we are all here for different reasons. Yet we are united by the same passion, trying to solve similar problems.

Action Items:

• Identify through thoughtful comparison, your key self-motivating drivers to success
• Build effective teams and growth-oriented initiatives to modernize your impact on Customer Experience for your organization
• Reimagine the future of your customer centric journey through emerging technology, people engagement, and a tangible ROI goal

Headliner:

John McCahan
Vice President Customer Care
FTD
 
Why You Should Listen to John:
John joined FTD in 2019 and was brought in to lead service transformation post-bankruptcy. He brings a broad range of customer centric Contact Center and CX strategic leadership, attained in various industries including; banking, logistics, manufacturing, business services, and retail. He has led customer service transformations for both public and privately held companies. Prior to FTD, John held leadership positions at Avon, Milacron, Fifth Third Bank, Target, and Equifax. John was a paratrooper and served 8 years in the US Army as a Captain on humanitarian and combat missions. Recently, he was named to the “100 Leaders Transforming Customer Experience”.

Abstract:
This session will review how Grubhub created a metric to quantify the value it was providing to the business, how Care worked with Product to build a tool to help utilize real time data in contact handling and how Grubhub uses Care data as a feedback loop for insights.

Action Items:

• Evaluate how Care metrics are viewed by other departments in your business
• Identify qualitative and quantitative ways your Care teams impact customer retention and customer growth
• Rethink how you can align your priorities with the priorities of other departments

Rockstar Insight:

Michael Wireko
Vice President, Care
Grubhub
 

Why You Should Listen to Michael:
Michael is the VP, Care at Grubhub but has a unique background and passion for metrics and analytics. In his decade at Grubhub Michael has led several teams focused on utilizing data and KPIs to drive business impacts across the organization and is eager to share realistic tips on how to integrate data into customer service decision making to drive results.

Abstract:
UNS Energy embarked on a transformative journey to enhance employee engagement and create an environment where both staff and customers could truly thrive. Discover how they attained above-average Top Two Box ratings compared to other utility companies.

Action Items:

• Employ a range of engagement surveys and methodologies
• Apply the best practices and strategies employed by the UNS Energy management team to your own operations
• Collaborate with your management team on lessons learned

Rockstar Insight:

Aaron Groff
Customer Care Manager of Billing & Payments, Technology & Innovation
Tucson Electric Power
 

Why You Should Listen to Aaron:
Aaron has 15 years of varied utility experience. Prior to joining Customer Care in 2017, Aaron served as a Generation Liaison, a Lead Financial Analyst, and a Lead Accountant responsible for SEC reporting. Aaron serves on the boards of directors for the Pima County Community Action Agency and Interfaith Community Services.

 
Laura Stroman
Manager of Credit and Collections and Special Plans
UNS Energy
 

Why You Should Listen to Laura:
Laura brings over 20 years of experience in the Customer Contact Center industry to her role. Within the six years at the organization Laura has been dedicated to enhancing the customer experience. Her passion for the field drives her to seek out innovative strategies to engage and grow both internal and external customers.

Abstract:
Participants at each Customer Contact Executive MindXchange come away with a wealth of key learnings and it can be a challenge to take it all in. During this interactive session, members of the Customer Contact community will highlight the most important themes, key take-aways and lessons learned they can be readily operationalized once you are back in the office.

Moderator:

Susan Weaver
Chief Customer Officer
Slavic401k
 
 Why You Should Listen to Susan:
Susan’s career progression over the past 25+ years from a front-line processor and call center representative to Chief Customer Officer has been a profound and rewarding learning experience. Her innovative approach to contact center operations and relationship management has redefined the importance of the customer experience at Slavic401k. By consistently placing the customer at the heart of every decision, Susan has fostered a culture of empathy, accountability, and excellence, achieving outstanding results for both the business and the customers they serve.

Panelists Include:

Fred Beason
Director, Customer Service Experience
Aviso Wealth
Customer Engagement Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to Fred:
Fred is an award-winning Senior Leader with 20 years of extensive experience in contact centers. As a customer service expert, he has a proven track record of creating and leading world-class customer service organizations. Fred excels in developing and implementing strategies that deliver exceptional customer service and support, consistently exceeding customer expectations. His expertise includes streamlining processes, ensuring efficiency, and maintaining adherence to best-in-class standards.
 
Sebastian Cosgrove
Director, Global Customer Service
Air Canada Cargo
 
Why You Should Listen to Sebastian:
Sebastian started his career as a flight attendant with Air Canada and has held progressively more senior roles within the organization on both the passenger and cargo side of the airline. Sebastian launched Air Canada’s enterprise social media platform and supported in the development of Customer Service at Cargo. Today, the Customer Service department includes multiple Service Centres across Canada and the United States as well as post-customer care.
 
Clancey Dollard
Director, 24/7 Support Center
University of Arizona
 
Why You Should Listen to Clancey:
Building teams that improve the lives of their customers is a passion for Clancey. As a Certified HDI Support Center Director, Clancey has the understanding and experience for what it takes to provide meaningful customer experiences. One of his strengths is his deep understanding of small contact center (<100 agents) operations.
 
Jerry Howe
Vice President of Global Marketplace Support
Turo
 
Why You Should Listen to Jerry:
With over 30 years in the high-tech sector, Jerry has passionately transformed customer care organizations globally, an obsession evident from pivotal leadership roles at McAfee, Intel, Airbnb, OfferUp, and Turo. Deeply invested in optimizing customer journeys, Jerry focuses on amplifying productivity and profitability, especially within startups and high-growth companies. Beyond building top-tier teams that prioritize culture and collaboration, Jerry is an innovator who has set new standards in holistic customer experience.
 

Abstract:
Join us at Tucson Electric Power (TEP) for a tour of our new Contact Center and to engage with industry peers regarding the challenges and opportunities to deliver exceptional service.

At Tucson Electric Power, our vision is to be an exceptional energy provider that positively impacts the lives of our employees, customers, and communities. We deliver safe, reliable power to more than 433,000 customers in the Tucson metropolitan area.

Our Contact Center is 18,500 square feet and features many trend-setting design features. The floor plan is designed around a center core that houses the amenities that all Contact Center employees utilize, including a large break room, conference and training rooms, restrooms, and Mom’s room. Focused on delivering a rewarding experience, our CSR’s handle more than 2.1 million calls annually.

Key Take-Aways:

• Exceed, surpass, and transcend customer expectations by revamping IVR menus for ease of business
• Providing an omnichannel customer experience with the addition of chat
• Gaining deeper business insight with improved analytics

Rockstar Insights:

Aaron Groff
Customer Care Manager of Billing & Payments, Technology & Innovation
Tucson Electric Power
 

Why You Should Listen to Aaron:
Aaron has 15 years of varied utility experience. Prior to joining Customer Care in 2017, Aaron served as a Generation Liaison, a Lead Financial Analyst, and a Lead Accountant responsible for SEC reporting. Aaron serves on the boards of directors for the Pima County Community Action Agency and Interfaith Community Services.