Poland Outsourcing Technology Podcasts

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When Covid struck, many companies were desperately scrambling for ideas to keep associates engaged and productive. How does one manage morale when everyone is working from home? These were unchartered waters.

Today we focus particularly on the initiatives launched at Lasership which ultimately lead to improved communication and an impressive, positive impact on attrition. I’m delighted to be joined by Carle Henry, Vice President of Customer Service at Lasership. With more than 35 years of experience in customer service, he has lots of invaluable insights to share.

Carle set about creating a virtual recognition program. A new team of 8-10 like-minded associates from different levels and different teams were brought together to create and improve culture during challenging times. Surveys were carried out to learn what really mattered. The result? There were daily to annual recognitions, including High Fives and Year End Oscars. They even included a spin off from Some Good News which was a turning point, as  associates began sharing on a personal level, fostering loyalty, commitment and positive relationships. Cooking clubs and photography clubs have been born out of these initiatives. This has been a tremendously successful initiative which Carle discusses at length. Tune in for a truly inspirational story for any CX leader.

Have you ever wondered why somebody gets a Harley-Davidson tattoo? Well on this week's episode of Tech People, I talk with Ken Hughes a CX strategist and consumer behavior analyst whose work focuses on these kinds of questions and the importance of understanding life through the lens of the consumer. 

We look at how CX needs to move away from a transactional view and towards creating an emotional connection with customers. Digital technology has pushed society into a more immersive space, which has led to transactions becoming commodities instead of experiences. AI and chatbots can assist with customer service, but the depth of connection is missing. 

Ken Hughes feels that companies should strive to deepen their connection with customers by instilling values in employees that emphasize making a difference and bringing back the human aspect and increasing channels and touchpoints by outsourcing customer service and finding good partners who are invested in the technology and the future. Whether it's using humor to diffuse difficult situations or an employee going above and beyond to “save” a small child's goldfish, authenticity is essential to consumers. 

Ken Hughes is also a motivational speaker and will be back on tour in 2023, traveling the world and enjoying interactions with live audiences, so be on the lookout for his appearances.  Enjoy the show.

As a CX leader are you taking on the entire scope of the customer experience? Is your CX strategy aligned with the strategy of the company? Are key business insights getting lost in big data? Are you taking note of the latest trends and what is the risk or benefit to your business? And crucially are you an effective storyteller able to communicate your CX goals to all levels of your organization?

In this episode, Ken discusses all these topics and more with Jaap Wilms, a thought leader in CX with over 22 years of experience. Jaap is the founder and owner of Wilms & Co., which offers master classes on CX, NPS, and business storytelling. He also serves as a sparring partner for corporate companies implementing CX initiatives, providing advice and assistance with strategy and road mapping. 

Today Jaap discusses some of the pitfalls in the field of CX, including a lack of alignment with company strategy, a failure to stay up-to-date on trends, the damage of poor internal communication, and how focusing only on the customer journey is just not enough. Check out our conversion to learn more…

Companies collect a lot of data from customers and it’s crucial to act upon this information rather than aimlessly cataloging it and allowing the dust to settle! Every touch point gives some insight into understanding the customer and paints a more complete picture informing internal teams about what’s really going on. 

Once we are clear about what we really want to learn about the customer, companies can make more accurate projections about the future. This is invaluable. Data not only provides insight into product decisions but also assists customer retention efforts and self-service.

This week I’m delighted to welcome Ben Gardner, VP of Customer Support at Drift. Previously, Ben shared his experience of implementing an effective ticketing tool in CX, and today he takes a closer look at why data can be an instrumental tool to enhance productivity and performance. Ben discusses the importance of ingesting every piece of data which contributes to a greater knowledge of the customer experience and how best to react when a red flag has been raised. Fantastic ideas for anyone operating in this space! Enjoy the show!

Today we are discussing customer metrics and how one can tell the real story behind them by digging a little deeper. Not only do they reflect customer satisfaction levels but they can also be a very useful tool to support the team at hand. Different companies measure customer success using various metrics such as SLAs, CSAT, and NPS. However, they do not always present a clear picture.

I’m delighted to be joined by Kevin French, senior director of customer support at Bizzabo. Kevin explains how team metrics can sometimes be excellent but missing SLAs can remain an issue. An unproductive team or a staffing issue is usually behind such a scenario and these need to be addressed accordingly. How then did Kevin turn things around and drive CSAT levels to an all-time high? Right size the team and keep a close eye on global, regional, and individual metrics. This a fascinating insight into the value of looking at customer metrics under the microscope. Enjoy the show!

It is a tumultuous time for the retail sector. Shoppers' behaviors and expectations have changed dramatically and continue to evolve post-pandemic. How are companies adapting to this new environment and what marketplace solutions are available to secure their future in retail? 

To answer these questions and more, Francois Chaubard, Focal Systems CEO, gives a fascinating insight into this sector. Focal Systems is an AI company, specializing in retail automation. Francois believes their AI capabilities will enable grocery retail giants to become self-driven stores in the future. Focal Systems cameras and AI software scan the store shelves providing the retailer with 100% accurate inventory results. Resources can therefore be invested into better customer services for example and improved technology elsewhere. Ultimately, a self-driven store creates its’ own planogram, reacting in real-time to changes in demand, and supply, adapting pricing, and adjusting promotions. It can drive profitability and reduce food waste and global warming caused by over-ordering. Focal Systems is central to this revolution. This an incredible insight for anyone interested in AI and how the future looks for retail. Enjoy the show.

In the post-pandemic world, we live in today, the company website has become the core strategic asset. Effective conversational sales and marketing which take place via the website are driving more qualified leads in the customer pipeline.

 To discuss this essential element of the customer success journey I speak to Dan Darcy Chief Customer Officer at Qualified. Qualified enables companies to have valuable conversations with the right people using the website as the digital store frame. Qualified success architects do whatever it takes for customers to realise the value and role of the investment with Qualified. 

How has this been achieved? What model has been adapted and what are the future challenges? Get fired up, genuinely care about the success of customers and let the expansion numbers speak for themselves! Enjoy the show!

This week I’m delighted to discuss company culture with Wren Cotrone, Director of Customer Support at Agiloft. Wren believes that culture is the most important aspect of running a department. Over his career, Wren has seen the good, the bad and the ugly, including toxic red flags, so he’s got plenty of wisdom and advice to share. 

Treating people with respect and dignity, providing the best tools, and procedures can empower a workforce leading to personal success. Ultimately, this trickles down to, and manifests itself as an amazing customer experience. Wren points out how research such as the Forrester 2020 Report are playing their part, highlighting why companies can no longer neglect to invest in culture. A fascinating insight, where the stakes have never been so great. Enjoy the show.

It’s never an easy decision to move from one technology system to another in CX. Harvesting critical information to ensure customers are better served is of paramount importance but when the data isn’t always accurate, alarm bells begin to ring and the need to change becomes a lot clearer. To throw some light on the subject, I was delighted to have a conversation with Ben Gardner, Senior Director of Support at Drift who has first-hand knowledge when it comes to overseeing such a system transition. 

The move involved leaving Zendesk for Salesforce.

Ben gives a thorough overview of the entire process from start to finish. From why hiring somebody with the sole purpose to manage the service cloud implementation and manage the system thereafter was the best option, to the challenging bumps, and lessons along the way. Communication and sincere dialogue became key when addressing the concerns of internal users and Ben learned this the hard way. A fascinating insight with much wisdom and advice on offer. Enjoy the show!

When companies successfully understand the customer story and their conversations with customers, they can better shape the customer journey. This leads to more engaged customers that are passionate about who they are buying from. 

To discuss this fascinating and critical topic in greater detail, I am delighted to be joined by Ben Rosenberg, Co-Founder of Rosencall Consulting. With over 12 years of experience in CX, Ben highlights the importance of measuring and understanding how the customer interacts with every facet of a company. He discusses the importance of communication channels and using the correct tools and mechanisms to understand the data. Feedback is at the heart of everything you do as a support organisation and providing feedback via the correct support mechanisms is crucial. 

We discuss some of the common pain points and how the future looks in a more automated but human-driven customer experience. Enjoy the show!

In today’s fiercely competitive business landscape, success hinges much on the retention of employees. It is the people who are emerging as key competitive differentiators and retaining the talent has become a matter of paramount importance. 

To discuss this phenomenon in greater detail, I’m delighted to be joined by Gary O'Connell, Vice President of Support Services at EMEA Sophos. Gary highlights the ever-shifting landscape of recruitment post covid pandemic. The candidate pool has been transformed given remote working possibilities from around the world. 

However, establishing meaningful engagement between the company and its employees is challenging. Employees can feel isolated and disconnected and when constantly faced with such an array of new career opportunities, attrition is on the rise. Gary is dealing with these challenges head-on with a variety of creative initiatives. Introducing a new role known as an Employee Success Manager and The Buddy System are two critical strategies that are helping to combat attrition rates. With full-time remote working more popular than hybrid models, it is the new working norm. Companies now face the difficulty of trying to establish meaningful engagement with employees as they are consistently approached for new roles, never has the competition been greater or more intense. Tune in to discover the best survival skills.

An organisation’s success and competitiveness depend upon its ability to embrace diversity and realise the benefits. Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organisation. Diversity encompasses not just the obvious elements such as race, gender, etc., it also refers to different professional backgrounds and much more. 

To discuss this in greater detail I'm delighted to be joined by Karla Kannan, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at BirchStreet Systems. Having successfully transitioned from the hospitality industry to the world of technology, Karla is in an ideal position to highlight the benefits of transferring skills from diverse industries in order to connect strongly and build meaningful customer relationships. 

Karla believes passionately in the value of connecting different professional backgrounds with new roles to enhance customer service. When correctly directed, an organisation can move from being the customer’s vendor to a customer’s partner and truly make a difference. This is an excellent insight for everyone in the CX space.

This week I’m delighted to welcome Anieke Lamers, founder of Peekabond to the show. Peekabond is an interactive app that allows separated family members living all over the world to connect and sustain meaningful relationships with younger family members in particular. 

Anieke gives a very in-depth insight into the startup journey so far with lots of valuable advice. From the challenges presented by new technologies like blockchain and metaverse to being cost-effective and using existing technologies instead of building, Anieke has lots to share for anyone tinkering with the idea of a new startup. 

With a venture capitalist background, she discusses the reality of working with investors today post-pandemic, their goals, and concerns. As always finding the right talent to align with the company mission, communicate remotely, be transparent, and have dynamic outcomes features in our conversation. Crucially, the all-important user, their role, and achieving the right product-market fit is up for discussion here too. This is a bumper-packed episode providing a behind-the-scenes insight into a startup that operates in one of the most relevant spaces for the world we live in today. Enjoy the show.

The major shifts in today’s workforce have put business leaders to the test. Workforce inclusion and a company's ability to be agile have never been so important. Successful companies are those that listen to their workforce and demonstrate an inclusive environment. They are nimble, competitive, and engage in talent marketing. 

To discuss much of this topic and more, I am delighted to be joined by Ahva Sadeghi to discuss inclusion in the workplace. Ahva is the Co-founder and CEO of Symba, which provides an all-in-one platform to manage and scale company internship programs. Ahva recalls how remote internships in 2017 were considered an impossibility but this is no longer the case. Companies are now realising the value of early career investment. 

Remote recruitment practices provide companies with a stronger reach, tapping into diverse schools and community colleges. Ahva gives a fascinating insight into how companies with an inclusive environment are improving retention and supporting the mental health of their workforce. She suggests some means of measuring inclusion and also provides us with some reasons why the HR community is becoming more aligned. A bumper episode for anyone seeking to foster and reap the benefits of a truly inclusive workplace environment. Enjoy the show!

This week we turn our attention to the success story behind the 1440 Newsletter which boasts almost two million subscribers at a time when fewer and fewer Americans trust News outlets. Busy professionals require unbiased news without motive. Tim Huelskamp, co-founder, and CEO of 1440 Media outlines some of the essential criteria which have led to 1440’s success. 

He states the importance of knowing, understanding, and delivering for the user and the importance of achieving a 40% retention rate before scaling and monetisation can take place. If this all-important open and retention rate is not reached, the business model is ultimately doomed to fail. 

Tim discusses the challenges he is confronted with and stresses the importance of being laser-focused on creating and delivering the best product in the world. This a fascinating insight for any budding entrepreneurs in this space or indeed in any industry. Enjoy the show!

This week we are turning our focus to the power of digital marketing. Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience in the right place and at the right time. Today, that means you need to meet them where they are already spending time on the internet. 

I’m delighted to be joined by Courtney Rambo, one of the Co-founders and Directors of Intellitonic, an SEO and digital marketing agency. Courtney provides a thorough insight into the background of creating an effective digital marketing tool. 

She outlines the importance of understanding where the company is currently positioned and where the competitors are. She examines several elements such as the strengths and weaknesses, the particular industry, how the website appears, and the use of keyword research to serve as a backbone of the overall strategy. Courtney outlines how keywords determine content and she takes a look at budgeting and results when using a paid platform. 

This is a bumper show that provides a fascinating insight into digital marketing as an invaluable asset in any company’s success. Enjoy the show!

Diversity and inclusion are widely recognised as key elements to any company's success. So why and how has advertising’s exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ online community come about? What impact is this having on LGBT creators who voice the community online?

To discuss this topic in greater detail, I’m delighted to be joined by Alex Parmar-Yee. Alex is responsible for Strategy at Awin UK and is also the author of the article “Embracing the LGBTQIA+ online community as part of your advertising strategy”. Alex is an advocate for a more inclusive society with the mantra that diverse teams produce better results. Publications have begun to disappear, creators are failing to monetise, and there is a diminishing level of online content. Brand safety lists have been instrumental in bringing this about. However, Alex believes that working with a partnership approach and engaging with more creators can lead to more brands embracing the community on a day-to-day business level. If brand safety moves towards understanding content as opposed to using lists of words such as gay, lesbian, etc will also bring about a positive change. A fascinating insight, enjoy the show.

Research shows that roughly 1 in 3 invoices go unpaid past their due date. As a result, countless small businesses, freelancers, and tradespeople spend a large portion of their time chasing up late payments. The ramifications of this, particularly in the COVID era, can be serious and highly destructive to small businesses trying to stay afloat.

On this week's podcast, I speak to Ravi Jakhodia, the Co-Founder and CEO of Coupay - a FinTech software company on a mission to make late invoice payments a thing of the past. Ravi has decided to reverse the trend, by bringing invoice payments up to speed with our digitally-enabled lives. The podcast provides great insights into payments for small businesses as well as some great takeaways from Ravi on how he set up a new company to address a problem he experienced from buying a car. Enjoy the podcast :-).

Tune in to our most recent episode where we take a deep dive into the world of DeFi (decentralised finance) with Anders Christensen and Matthijs De Vries of AllianceBlock.

Anders and Matthijs crossed paths a few years ago and quickly connected over their discussions of blockchain and crypto. Aware of its issues, but also the opportunities that lay ahead for the industry, the two set out to create a safe, user-friendly, and collaborative space to meet soaring demand from crypto investors.

Have a listen to learn more about how AllianceBlock has been transforming the space and gradually bridging the gap between Defi and traditional finance.

In this episode, we sit down with Eugene O’Brien, the CEO of Big Fan Collectibles, who sheds light on one of the latest and most exciting additions to the blockchain space – NFTs – and how they have been taking the sports world by storm.

While a lot of intimidating jargon often surrounds this novel piece of technology, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are quite simply digital, non-interchangeable digital assets. Think sports cards, drawings, music, or – as Eugene tells us – even tweets. The thing that’s so exciting about NFTs is that they’ve been paving a new way for companies, sports clubs, creators, and artists to engage with their audiences, and do so on a "peer-to-peer " level. NFTs’ main premise is to give buyers something that can’t be copied: ownership rights of the original asset; ultimately giving them a say in the future of the company they’re buying from.

Tune in to find out more about BigFan, NFTs as well as what the future holds in stock for them.

In today’s episode, we chat with Louise O’Neill of the Berkley Group, who tells us more about the much-discussed issue of tech talent shortage and the challenges facing recruiters in trying to source such talent.

For reasons such as COVID-19, increasing digitization and the rising number of new tech startups, the scarcity of tech talent has become more apparent than ever. As a result, Louise describes this space as a ‘candidate’s market’, making the fight for tech talent extremely difficult. In order to compete for much sought-after candidates, companies are increasingly required to come up with desirable and innovative packages, not to mention the appeal of exciting projects first and foremost!

Tune in to learn more about this issue and find out what strategies Louise and her team have been employing to overcome this challenge for their clients.

Tune in as we’re joined by Arik Oslerne, the Chief Operating Officer of VAUBAN – a venture capital (VC) and private equity company seeking to democratize the venture capital landscape and break down the barriers to small-scale investing.

Investments, venture capital, and wealth management are all concepts traditionally associated with the ultra-wealthy; those with millions’ worth of capital and a swath of investments offering them high returns; thus, perpetuating the “the rich get richer” cycle we often hear about.

Aided by advances in technology and COVID-19, VAUBAN has been challenging this notion, by redefining the investment space and allowing those with smaller tickets to enter the VC ecosystem and reap benefits previously inaccessible to them.

Founding a startup is one of the most challenging and exciting experiences for any founder, but where does one begin?

What is Pre-Seed Funding? How does it work? How much do I need? How do I prepare, are just some of the questions I pose to Sam Keisner, who is an expert in venture capital and private equity and Founding Partner, GO10x Ventures.

This is a must-listen for any founder as Sam generously shares his expert insights to help founders secure their financial investment.

In this week's Podcast, I check out the latest retail data trends including retail media networks, which has recently seen ad revenues of $31.1 billion for Amazon and $2.1 billion for Walmart in 2021.

How has the retail landscape changed? How are brands adapting and why are retail media networks key to the future of retail are some of the questions I pose to Oliver Klander, Commercial Lead at LiveRamp.

Join us to hear more about the leading retail trends to watch in 2022.

In this second episode in a special series of Fintech podcasts, we take a closer look at Old Vs New in Fintech, current trends and the exciting prospect of one company’s mission to create one eco system for everyone to trade across without a middleman.

I speak to Anders Christensen, Head of the Avaloq.one Ecosystem at Avaloq. As an experienced banking Fintech expert, Anders workss in the international banking software industry. At Avaloque.one, He focuses on developing the Fintech eco-system, connecting end client needs to great experiences. Thanks for your invaluable insight Anders. Enjoy!

This week I speak to Richard Rodgers, Global Digital Marketing Director for Agilent Technologies. Richard has always been passionate about start-ups from a young age, forming his first company at just sixteen. With a lifetime of experience in marketing and growing businesses, Richard speaks about the importance of account-based marketing, identifying the right client at the right time, and delivering a message which targets and addresses their specific pain point. In our chat, Richard shares his invaluable advice, his success stories, and his failures along his incredible entrepreneurial journey.

My guest today is Nuri Otus, founder, and CEO of Txtsmarter. Over 6 trillion imessages and 145 billion SMS/MMS messages are sent each day. However mobile carriers do not store text messages. Nuri realised at first hand the risk this poses for businesses. It was a dramatic, life-changing event that led to the creation of Txtsmarter and Nuri has never looked back as his company was recently shortlisted for the 2021 RegTech Insight Awards. Enjoy this very honest recount where success is born out of the darkest of times.

I recently had the pleasure to talk to Andy Skipper, founder of CTO Craft, the UK’s first learning and coaching network built for engineering managers, CTO’s and tech. Covid-19 has brought a greater need for CTOs to manage the challenge of decreased morale and resilience amongst colleagues. The importance of trust was never so crucial in a new workplace environment. Andy provides the best solutions to overcome such difficulties through effective coaching and outlines a picture of what the future might hold.

With spending on Regulatory Technology estimated to rise by an average of 48% per annum to $76.3 billion in 2022, our Fintech series continues this week by taking a closer look at regulatory technology with industry guru, Rick Dupree.

As CEO & founder of Riskliance, Rick has held several business, risk, compliance, and operations roles at regional, national, and global financial services firms. He is a contributor to industry articles, panels, webinars and sits on several RegTech advisor boards including Compliance.ai and 4US. With vast experience and a wealth of information to share in this fascinating sector, we discuss the RegTech evolution, current trends, and the future landscape in this rapidly expanding market. Enjoy the show.

In this week’s podcast, we get a fascinating insight into the world of Fintech customer experience from Tomas Sallies, Head of Customer Experience at Curve. Curve is a London-based Fintech that combines multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and an even smarter app.

Tomas describes the best customer experience as one that never happens. He provides an excellent insight into how his team achieves a better online customer experience, addressing current customer behaviours and expectations. Tomas identifies some of the challenges and possible solutions to overcome these. He also looks to the future with some exciting new plans. Enjoy the show 😀.

This week I have the pleasure of reinterviewing Greg Watts CEO and co-founder of Findr, one year on from the launch date. Launching a tech business from home in a pandemic was a daunting prospect. 

Greg shares his invaluable experience on some of the key challenges he overcame including how he successfully secured investors in a new virtual setting, offering not only a lifeline but invaluable advice and support. He also outlines the advantages of adopting a hybrid flexible model which in his experience has led to increased productivity and focus. Findr is an inspirational success story going from strength to strength and a must-listen for any entrepreneur.

Never before has the entire essence of work evolved so dramatically as it has in recent times. What then could the future hold for workers around the globe? With almost 40% of the US workforce working remotely at the height of the pandemic and the ever-growing popularity of the On-Demand workforce, together with constantly evolving technologies, a new shift is currently impacting every facet of work. 

In his latest book, “The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations” best-selling author and entrepreneur, Jeff Wald offers a realistic prediction of what the near and medium future of work is including the key challenges ahead such as upskilling millions of workers. This is a fascinating insight into the new generation of work and its workers. Enjoy!

In this week’s podcast, I get a fascinating insight into the latest trends in AI & ML with Sean Muller. With nearly 30 years experience in the industry, Sean helps businesses achieve radical growth by architecting innovative digital transformations.

He outlines some of the major challenges and the possible solutions that face the sector today and into the future. An incredibly exciting space with both hugely positive capabilities or devastating potential.

In this week’s podcast, we inadvertently touch on a debate that has yet to be settled. Which is more important: an idea or its execution? With countless aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to come up with the next big thing; that will compete with Facebook or Amazon, many also underestimate the skills, capital, and resources required to realise this new product or service.

Trevor Newberry, the Founder of Newberry Consulting and Director of Product Delivery at Harmony Venture Labs, understands better than most the common challenges and pitfalls involved in building a software product as a non-technical founder. Tune in, to learn more about how to get it right by anticipating and avoiding the stumbling blocks that could lead to software development failure.

Blockchain is one of the 21st century’s most exciting new technology. Despite the rapid evolution and adoption of blockchain across many industries, it has presented regulators with the challenge of managing blockchain and crypto assets without hindering their growth.

Such challenges are why associations such as INATBA (International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications) have become crucial to support regulators in drafting policies that are more innovative than inhibitory. In this week's podcast, I have a fascinating conversation with Marc Taverner, Executive Director of INATBA on the current key issues, solutions, and what the future holds. 

Marketing gurus have been telling us for years that video content is fast becoming the most powerful marketing tool. What they haven’t told us is how to make your content appeal to more than one audience segment - after all, why invest unspeakable amounts of money into a campaign that’s limited by its country of origin’s borders?

Founder and CEO of Think Jam and an indisputable trailblazer in the AdTech space, Daniel Robey, is here to tell us all that marketing experts haven’t - namely how to make the constraints of language and cultural nuance a mere formality rather than an obstacle that could sink a company’s budget. 

Tune in to hear more about the waves Think Jam has been making in the advertising space.