This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I’m joined by Sheila Morin, CMO of Coveo, whose career spans L’Oréal, Danone, Cirque du Soleil, and now AI-driven CX at Coveo. Across industries, her focus has remained the same: creating seamless, customer-focused experiences that drive engagement and loyalty.

We explore how Coveo helps leading brands like United Airlines, SAP, and Xero thrive with AI, the latest trends in generative AI, and what CX leaders need to know before implementing AI. AI has the power to transform customer experience—but only if it’s built on trusted data and delivers real results. Sheila shares insights on how top companies make AI work, the biggest misconceptions about AI adoption, and why businesses must act now.

Tune in to discover how AI is reshaping CX and what it takes to create personalized, frictionless interactions at scale.

Thanks to Coveo for sponsoring this episode!

05:25 | Clarifying AI’s Value: How Coveo Drives Relevance at Scale
08:34 | How Coveo’s GenAI Supports Industry Leaders Like United Airlines
17:54 | Businesses Want AI That Delivers Real Results
20:58 | How CX Leaders Can Make AI Work

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Kimberly Wyman, VP of Customer Support at T-Mobile for Business, shares how operations and customer experience work hand in hand to create a customer-centric culture at scale.

With nearly 20 years at T-Mobile—she’s seen firsthand how empowered employees and streamlined operations drive exceptional customer service.

The conversation explores the balance between CX investments and business impact, the role of AI in enhancing human interactions, and how T-Mobile empowers employees at all levels to take ownership of the customer experience.

Listen now for insights on building a scalable, customer-centric culture through smart operations and innovation.

📌 2:27 | Customer-Centric Culture at T-Mobile

📌 5:28 | Operations as a CX Advantage

📌 7:02 | Customer-Centric vs. Business Impact

📌 9:08 | The Ultimate Problem-Solving Question

📌 16:45 | Using AI to Enhance Human-Centered Customer Support

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, speaker, author, and trainer Jeff Toister—creator of The Service Culture Guide and multiple LinkedIn Learning courses on customer service and leadership—shares insights on building a strong service culture.

With years of experience studying what makes customer-focused teams thrive, Jeff offers practical strategies to improve service without overwhelming employees.

The conversation covers his 5-5-5 training method, a simple yet effective framework that helps teams develop better service skills in just 15 minutes a week. Jeff also explains why clarity is essential to great customer service, how empowering frontline employees can cut escalations by 50%, and what sets top-performing CX organizations apart.

🎧 Tune in now to discover how small, consistent changes can drive big improvements in customer experience!

📍 Learn more about Jeff Toister’s 5-5-5 approach at https://www.toistersolutions.com/blog/5-5-5-approach

01:13 – The Impact of One Customer Interaction

05:37 – Using Data to Enhance Training and Efficiency

06:50 – Why Clarity is the Foundation of Great Service

11:56 – The 5-5-5 Training Method: Small Steps, Big Impact

17:01 – How Small Adjustments Can Reduce Escalations by 50%

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Kristi Faltorusso, Chief Customer Officer at ClientSuccess, joins me to discuss how she’s transforming customer success through personalization, relationships, and AI. With over a decade of experience, Kristi has helped SaaS companies build impactful customer success programs that drive results.

Kristi shares how to design personalized customer journeys, leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance workflows, and foster genuine connections that build trust and loyalty. She also dives into how leaders can create authentic content to connect with their audience and adapt to the challenges of a changing SaaS landscape.

From balancing authenticity and professionalism to rethinking workflows for AI integration, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

🎧 Tune in now to learn how to elevate your customer success strategy and deliver better results for your clients!

03:35 What Makes Customer Success Different from Customer Service

08:02 Rethinking Workflows: Guiding Customers to Unlock AI’s True Potential

08:51 Actionable Tips for Creating Engaging Content

11:55 Balancing Authenticity and Professionalism in Personal Branding

14:14 SaaS Predictions: What’s Ahead for CX and Tech Companies

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Megan Burns—a Fortune 500 advisor and keynote speaker with over 20 years of experience—joins me to share how she’s helped companies like Microsoft, Dow, Workday, FedEx, Akamai, DHL, Verizon, and AT&T build customer-centric cultures and deliver exceptional experiences at scale.

Megan dives into the foundational role of trust in customer experience—and why it’s essential for building lasting relationships. She shares actionable strategies for simplifying complexity, breaking down silos, and fostering trust across organizations.

Megan also explains how companies can tackle the operational challenges that come with growth and align their teams to better meet customer needs.

From measuring trust through transparency and reliability to creating a culture that prioritizes connection, this conversation is packed with practical insights.

🎧 Tune in now to learn how to make trust the cornerstone of your customer experience strategy—and empower your teams to deliver it!

02:41 Customer Experience vs. Customer Trust

04:48 The Limits of Empathy

08:12 Consistently Good, Strategically Amazing

11:43 Creating a Customer-Centric Culture

14:57 What Companies Fear About Customer Feedback

17:57 Why Trust Drives Growth

19:51 Measuring Customer Trust

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Gadi Shamia—Co-founder and CEO of Replicant—shares his expertise on building a customer-centric AI strategy that delivers real results.

From starting small with AI adoption to automating impactful call flows and scaling strategically, Gadi breaks down the steps leaders can take to unlock efficiency, empower agents, and improve customer experiences. He also highlights how AI is reshaping the contact center workforce, creating a future where agents handle high-value, complex interactions while automation tackles the rest.

Whether you're navigating AI adoption or looking to future-proof your CX strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights for smarter, faster progress.

🎧 Tune in now to discover how to embrace AI’s potential and build a CX strategy that evolves with your business!

This episode of The Modern Customer Podcast is sponsored by Replicant.

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:57 AI's Impact on Contact Centers

07:27 From Script to Spirit

09:36 A Strategic Approach to AI Adoption

11:57 Next-Gen QA with Conversation Intelligence

17:36 The Future Contact Center Workforce

25:24 Rapid Fire Questions with Gadi Shamia

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Josh Linkner—globally recognized innovation expert, bestselling author, tech entrepreneur, and professional jazz guitarist—shares his insights on how leaders can unlock creativity, overcome fear-driven barriers, and build a culture where bold ideas thrive.

From embracing AI as a co-pilot to applying frameworks like the 'To-Test List' and 'Judo Flip,' Josh shares actionable strategies for tackling challenges with creativity and adaptability. Whether leading teams or enhancing customer interactions, this conversation delivers practical insights to spark bold innovation.

🎧 Tune in now to start 2025 with a mindset of bold innovation and fearless creativity!

👉 Visit https://joshlinkner.com/ to learn more about Josh Linkner and his work.

Key Highlights for Easy Listening:

01:57 Balancing Automation with Human Compassion in Customer Service

03:28 Turning Challenges into Opportunities with Creative Problem-Solving

05:28 Using the 'To-Test List' and 'Judo Flip' to Drive Creative Problem-Solving

08:52 Driving Innovation Through Small, Manageable Steps

09:55 The Power of Empathy, Artistry, and Emotional Intelligence

11:25 Create Memorable, Human-Centered Customer Interactions

14:59 Cultivating a Creative Mindset for Problem-Solving

17:25 How Leaders Can Build a Culture of Safety, Creativity, and Bold Innovation

22:29 Rapid Fire Questions with Josh Linkner

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

The U.S. hotel industry saw occupancy rates reach 67% in October 2024 (Statista, 2024). In such a high-demand period, success isn’t just about elegant rooms or luxurious amenities—it’s about how every guest feels during their stay.

In this episode of The Modern Customer podcast, Bashar Wali, Founder & CEO of This Assembly and Practice Hospitality, shares his expertise on crafting exceptional guest experiences through emotional intelligence, authentic connections, and a culture of care.

Drawing from decades of experience, Bashar dives into the power of hiring the right people, turning routine interactions into meaningful moments, and addressing guest feedback with transparency and empathy.

Whether it’s building team loyalty or creating memorable experiences, this conversation offers actionable insights every hospitality professional can apply right away.

Tune in now to discover how emotional intelligence and a people-first approach are redefining hospitality success.

Key Highlights for Easy Listening:

05:31 The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Building Hospitality Teams

07:53 Understanding Emotional Connections: Love Languages in Guest Experiences

12:29 Memorable vs Transactional Experiences: What Truly Matters to Guests

15:07 Service Recovery: Addressing Bad Reviews with Transparency

18:53 Creating a Culture of Care: Retaining Top Talent in Hospitality

21:27 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts on Elevating Guest Experiences

Learn more about Bashar Wali and his work at hotelier.life.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.