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 Facilitator:

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.

Hosted By:

Tisa Sinclair
Director, Social Response
AARP
 

Why You Should Listen to Tisa:
Bio is forthcoming.

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.

Rockstar Insight:

Tope Sadiku
Strategic Planning Leader – Strategy, Transformation, Agile and Digital Revolution
The Kraft Heinz Company
 

Why You Should Listen to Tope:
Bio is forthcoming.

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:

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:
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:

Devin Poole
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Coveo
 
Why You Should Listen to Devin:
Devin has been researching and advising executives on customer service and customer experience strategies for the past 15 years as an Analyst at two leading research firms. He writes and speaks on topics such as digital customer service experience, service channel strategy, personalization, AI, the Effortless Experience, and the agent experience. Throughout his career, he has worked across the globe, advising companies from Fortune 50 to technology startups.

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:
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:
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:
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:

Phil Gray
Chief Product Officer
Interactions
 

Why You Should Listen to Phil:
Phil leads innovation initiatives at Interactions, collaborating with customers and partners to create and operationalize disruptive technology inventions that transform customer experience. He has extensive experience with Conversational AI and customer experience technologies. Prior to joining Interactions, Phil founded and led Versay, a natural language, speech applications company. He also held leadership roles at Nuance and Eloyalty.

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:
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 Facilitator:

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.

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:

Carl Gilbert
Vice President Operations
Safe-Guard Products International

Why You Should Listen to Carl:
Carl is currently Vice President of Operations at Safe-Guard Products International and has over 20 years of experience as a Global Operations and Customer Experience Executive. He has been an integral part of business growth using best-in-market strategies and has a proven track record of business transformation and technology enablement to drive efficiencies and service delivery. Carl’s successful career has spanned several industries including F&I, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Shipping & Logistics, Financial Services, and Telecommunications.

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.

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:

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:

Jennifer Bloomfield
System Director, Consumer Experience Initiatives
Memorial Hermann Health System

Why You Should Listen to Jennifer:
Jennifer is the System Director of Consumer Experience Initiatives for Memorial Hermann, the largest non-profit health system in Houston with more than 36,000 employees and affiliated providers. In this position, Jennifer drives change at a system level, connecting the dots between otherwise siloed teams to create personalized, memorable experiences for patients and staff. With more than 15 years of healthcare leadership experience, Jennifer’s current focus is leading the system through a moments that matter strategy to drive improved, frictionless experiences for all consumers during the key interactions in their health journey. 

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:
Bio is forth coming.
 

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.

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:
It’s one thing for the organization to have a CX vision, it’s another to bring it to fruition. Drawing from his experiences, Michael will demonstrate how to leverage the “Cathedral Strategy” to build multiple award-winning service environments in various industries. The “Cathedral Strategy” can be utilized to align the organization with a 3-year strategic roadmap to meet its strategic goals and is applicable for all levels of customer service maturity.

Action Items:

• Advise executive teams and get buy-in on the 4 strategic imperatives that will make or break success
• Set up the 5 foundational blocks that drives your customer experience enterprise wide
• Communicate the key steps to achieve scalability, people, and operational excellence

Rockstar Insight:

Michael Pace
Vice President, Global Member Services and Operations
Virgin Pulse
 

Why You Should Listen to Michael:
Michael believes that wildly successful companies start with successful customers and associates. Currently, he builds those experiences for Virgin Pulse, as their Vice President of Global Member Services and Operations. Michael has deep expertise in constructing pillars of a customer experience strategy for contact center or customer care teams..

Rockstar Insight:

Christopher Lobley
Vice President, Bangor Support Manager
Bangor Savings Bank
 

Why You Should Listen to Christopher:
Bio is forthcoming.

Headliner:

Aarthi Murali
Executive Vice President
Holman
 

Why You Should Listen to Aarthi:
Bio is forthcoming.

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:
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:

Jennifer Bloomfield
System Director, Consumer Experience Initiatives
Memorial Hermann Health System
 
Why You Should Listen to Jennifer:
Jennifer is the System Director of Consumer Experience Initiatives for Memorial Hermann, the largest non-profit health system in Houston with more than 36,000 employees and affiliated providers. In this position, Jennifer drives change at a system level, connecting the dots between otherwise siloed teams to create personalized, memorable experiences for patients and staff. With more than 15 years of healthcare leadership experience, Jennifer’s current focus is leading the system through a moments that matter strategy to drive improved, frictionless experiences for all consumers during the key interactions in their health journey.
 

Panelists Include:

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:
Bio is forthcoming.
 
Annabel Fuller
Vice President, Customer Care
Paramount+
 
Why You Should Listen to Annabel:
Bio is forth coming.
 

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:

Tashonda Betts
Customer Contact Center Manager
Tucson Electric Power

 Why You Should Listen to Tashonda:

Tashonda is an accomplished subject matter expert in the Utility Industry. She has over 25 years of experience and a deep knowledge of utility processes and how they impact the customer. Tashonda manages a group of approximately 150 employees in multiple facets including Operations, Training, Quality Assurance, Supervision and Customer Service. Her team of employees handle over a million customer phone calls and more than 100,000 customer emails a year. Tashonda maximizes her team’s results through the practices of Shared Leadership, Solution Based Thinking and Pro-achievement. She has also implemented numerous technological and procedural changes to keep abreast within the industry and exceed customers’ needs and expectations.