For the first of our brand new CX Diaries podcasts, we were delighted to be joined by former CX Leader of Year James Scutt, who chatted to us about his new role at Qualtrics XM after 17 years at the Post Office. We hear about what Experience Management is, what an XM Catalyst is and does, and about the work of the XM Institute. James talks to us ab…

“Your home is your castle” Sarah talks to us about her move into social housing 3 years ago, having worked her way up through the ranks leading large, multi-site, multi-national contact centres, the motivation behind this, and the operational and cultural differences and challenges. We hear how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting both their cust…

In this episode, as we occasionally do, we step into the world of Mental Wellbeing, and support in the workplace Kathy was had a hugely successful corporate career in change delivery for 35 years. In the last 4 years she has run her own coaching business working with senior leaders and with women who want to transform their experience of work. Kath…

We had a chat with Iain just a couple of months into his new role as CEO at leading BPO and CX outsourcer Ventrica. Iain speaks to us about the background and early weeks in the role, and their positioning in the market, both UK and offshore. We hear about growing businesses in an experience economy and becoming an employer of choice, the importanc…

In our latest episode of The Big Interview, we caught up with Katie Stabler. She chats to us about ‘Journey Mapping’ – why we should be doing more of it, its reality vs the perception, and what makes a good CX programme, including how it should be part of a bigger strategy, and not siloed. She also talks about where companies get CX wrong, especial…

In this week’s podcast we had the pleasure of speaking to Justin Custer, CEO of one of our Foundation Partners – ChatLingual. Justin tells us all about ChatLingual and the major challenges he sees in the CX industry when it comes to language and multilingual support for customers. He talks about the issues when it comes to multilingual speaking age…

In this week’s episode of ‘The Big Interview’ we speak to Beverley Hughes, who tells us about the importance of the ‘people’ element of contact centres and ‘empathy’ and how this needs to be looked at in organisations as much as technology, as well as who is doing it well. She also talks about the benefits of Cloud technology, especially during the…

This week we chat to John O’Melia from Contentsquare. We chat about the ‘disruptive’ CX trends (good and bad) as the world navigates its way out of pandemic, and how quickly the space is evolving. John gives us his personal experiences of disruptive CX since he has started travelling again, especially with regards to an increase in SMS outbound com…

As part of our Mental Health Awareness Week campaign, we had a chat with Claire Bennett about the importance of Mental Wellbeing in the workplace. Claire talks about the myth around the assumption that mental health being just about ‘poor’ mental health, the cost to organisations with regards to mental health, how presenteeism is a huge issue with …

Nerys chats to us about the challenges of assessing your investment in contact centre technologies over the next 3 to 5 years, auditing current operations and determining the right solutions. She also gives us her expert opinion on the development of Omni-channel, Cloud, integration and Unified Comms solutions. We hear about her take on the CCaaS v…

Mark talks us through his reflections on the whole market trying to replicate Sensee’s original homeworking model in recent times, how the have retained their USP in this market, and the difference between having people working from home, and a true homeworking model. We hear about truly flexible scheduling and planning with self-selecting shifts, …

Sadiq takes us through his journey through the contact centre world, the decision to leave corporate world, matchmaking clients and partners, we hear about his extensive and successful portfolio of angel investing, and the challenges and differences for managers of working in a start up and privately invested business. Sadiq gives us his take on th…

Nicola talks to us about the reflective times of the last 2 years, and the challenges and success of clients, businesses, and investments during this time, across her varied portfolio. We learn a lot about how to work with businesses that are backed by Private Equity, the differences, and the opportunities this brings. We chat about the disconnect …

Russell takes us through the rapid journey many organisations went through with their technology during the pandemic, and we explore why this wasn’t happening before, and how many businesses found themselves with technology that didn’t support the new reality, and how all providers had to adapt to support their clients. We hear about the advancemen…

Graeme talks to us about the dual challenges of running both an outsource and in house estate, the value of strategic alliances, the pace of technology deployment over the past 18 months, and the expectations and opportunities this now brings. We hear about Graeme’s migration from Operations into Planning, the importance of understanding your numbe…

Jamie tells how the pandemic has amplified CX across many industries, and awareness across brands of the importance of CX. We discuss CX as a profession, the advent of the CXO, the attention at boardroom level, and the importance for the industry of backing this up, with more focus on the “so what”, much more provable ROI, and hard metrics. We hear…

Paul tells us what being a Contact Centre Innovator and CX Industry Dragon is all about! We hear about Paul’s background as an early entrant into contact centres in the 90s, some of the challenges and key learnings along the way, and how the landscape has changed over the years, both for the people, the technology, and consumer behaviour We come up…

Alistair talks us through the new proposition of CX as a Service, what this involves and how it works, the benefits and outcomes it brings. We hear about the levels of growth and consolidation in the CXM market, the labour challenges, and the need for balance between self serve and automation and what this means for customers, and what the next nor…

Dave talks to us about the opportunities and positives the pandemic has brought us, particularly around the way we work and doing things a better way, the evolving world of cloud contact centres, the importance of integration, and how to do this well. We hear about his journey through the industry, and developing people throughout his career. Dave …

Megan talks to us about the challenges of launching a Tech start up and we hear all about Gig CX and crowdsourcing customer service, bringing in the gig economy to contact centres and why this works for people and clients. We hear about her rise through the industry, how talent not technology is the answer to many of the industry issues, and the mi…

Gerry chats with us about some of the work he has been doing over the past 18 months, supporting organisations who have not traditionally seen their users as customers, the new world experience of facilitating virtual conferences, and his frustration with the state of customer service in the UK right now. We hear about the importance of maintaining…

Chloe talks to us about challenging the conventional, what more can be achieved in CX, and the importance of CX professionals showing ROI. She explores how we can link data to better serve the customer, employee, and brand and we discuss the advancement in CX programmes over the last 5 years, and whether this may have gone too far and how this can …

Carolyn talks us through how she launched her business at the age of 27, defying everyone who told her she was too young, before selling that to Ember in 2016. We hear about Carolyn’s reflections on her entrepreneurial journey over her 20 year career, the ups and downs, the learning experience, the big influences on her career, and discusses the im…

Graham talks to us about the challenges and successes over the last 18 months, and during his 5 years at HGS, what the future holds for the market and the clients, plus takes us through his journey through the contact centre and outsourcing world, from starting in the Next Directory call centre at the age of 15 and his time in Paris. He give us his…

Paula tells us about the challenges of coming into the sector whilst being seen as a relative outsider, gives a big shout out to some the competitors who have supported her through the 1st year. We hear about a watchdog exposé on her 1st day in new job at BT, the lessons of transformations and how you move hearts and minds, and her take on future t…

Alex talks us through his journey in contact centres and the world of CX, starting from his time on the phones as an agent and the grounding and insight this gave him. We hear his take on the current state of the industry, his views on awards programmes and Top 100 lists, and takes issue with a trend for personality over credibility and experience …

Marianne talks to us about setting up a brand new boutique BPO this year, and her extensive background in operations and transformation, and now having the opportunity to establish her own vision and culture. We hear about her proudest moments throughout her career, and how she has achieved them, and what we can all learn from that. We hear about a…

Ian talks us through how he has adapted his education and knowledge sharing over the last 18 months, supporting the community of CX professionals during the pandemic. He talks us through the formation of the CXPA and the development of the CCXP qualification, and the importance of developing standards and competencies in the CX industry. We discuss…

Por Allen Stroud

Por Allen Stroud; Shona Kinsella; Kevin Elliott

Por Allen Stroud/Kevin Elliott

Book news from Allen Stroud with special guest, Tim C. Taylor.- The Nebula Awards- Fantasycon Guests- Tim talks about The Human Legion.Por Lave Radio

Book news from Allen Stroud with special guest, Kevin Elliott.- The Hugo Awards- Conventions and developing your writing.- Kavin talks about his first novel and his blog.Por Lave Radio

Book news from Allen Stroud with special guest, Darren Grey.- The Clarke Awards Nominations- Writing for Games.- Darren talks about Jupiter Hell.Por Lave Radio

Book news and reviews from Allen Stroud with special guest, Anna Smith-Spark.- Eastercon.- Discussion of disabled characters in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. - Anna talks about her debut novel: The Court of the Broken Knives.Por Lave Radio

Book news and reviews from John Richardson and Allen Stroud.- Hodderscape and Apex open submissions.- Lavecon reflections.- The amazing Artemis experience from Star Fleet Comms!Plus this episode’s book choices:- The Lost Starship by Vaughn Heppner- Europe in Autumn by David HutchinsonPor Lave Radio

Book news and reviews from John Richardson and Allen Stroud.- Short Story Competitions at Writer’s Reign and Michael Brookes’ blog.- The Return of Lave Revolution. Second Edition available here.- Abrakka Drabble.- Introducing Kindle Worlds. Find out about it here.Plus this episode’s book choices:- Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos- The Quantum Thi…

Book news and reviews from John Richardson and Allen Stroud.- Christopher Lee RIP.- Publishers and Agents. A discussion on the commercial landscape part 2. Looking at ebook strategies.- Irene Gallow and Tor.com's statement on the Sad Puppy/Rabid Puppy debate. Read it and the comments here.Plus this episode’s book choices:- The Eye of Amun by V. K. …

Fresh from his proper holiday, John Richardson returns to discuss books and news with Allen Stroud.- Publishers and Agents. A discussion on the commercial landscape.- Han Solo in marriage shocker!Plus this episode’s book choices:- The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle- Tamaruq by E. J. SwiftPor Lave Radio

Richard Horsley, writer and podcaster from Ready Player Two joins Allen Stroud to discuss books and news. They also discuss writing in general and Richard’s in progress novel Static Push.- Tanith Lee’s writing- Tor Open Submissions month..- First pictures from Ridley Scott’s The Martian.Plus this episode’s book choices:- The Girl With All The Gifts…

Fresh from a week off, John Richardson returns to discuss books and news with Allen Stroud:- Analog Magazine from the 1960s. Visit the current website here.- Simon Pegg comments on the film industry.Plus this episode’s book choices:- Glitch in the Machine by Edgar Swamp- Shiva Syndrome by Alan Joshua…

Allen Stroud Colin Ford and Rory Scarlett discuss:- Mad Max Fury Road Reactions.- Supergirl. New DC Comics and CBS series. Watch the trailer here.Plus this episode’s book choices:- Hyperion by Dan Simmons.- Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell.- Age of Wonders by David G. Hartwell.Por Lave Radio

Allen Stroud and John Richardson discuss:- The Clarke Award Winner - Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel.- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Future Predictions of Science Fiction.Plus this episode’s book choices:- Last Light by Alex Scarrow- Gemini Gambit by D. Scott Johnson.Por Lave Radio

Allen Stroud and John Richardson are joined by Top Shift’s Colin Ford to discuss:- The latest Hugo Award Withdrawals,- A review site looking for reviewers – Concatenation.org,- The Mad Max Fury Road Trailer- NASA’s latest revelations about a Warp Drive.Plus this episode’s book choices:Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks.Station Eleven by Emily St Joh…

Allen Stroud and John Richardson discuss the Clarke Awards, The British Science Fiction Association, the recent Star Wars Celebration in Anaheimand David Hasslehoff’s latest music video. Plus this episode’s book choices: Trudge by Shawn Chesser and War Stories: New Military Science Fiction.Por Lave Radio

Allen Stroud and John Richardson discuss the Nine Worlds Social, the Gemmell Awards and this episode’s book choices:The Age of Miracles by Kim Stanley Robinson and The Relic Guild by Edward Cox,Por Lave Radio

Allen Stroud and John Richardson discuss Eastercon, the Hugo Nominations and this episode's book choices: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson-Walker and Pelquin’s Comet by Ian WhatesPor Lave Radio

Allen Stroud and John Richardson discuss Spinward Fringe Origins by Randolph Lalonde and Ancillary Justice by Ann LeckiePor Lave Radio