Send us a text

Summary:

In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Janzen, VP of Strategic Growth & Partnerships at Laivly, to get past the keynote glitter and into the messy reality of AI in the contact center. Jeff traces Laivly’s evolution from an internal BPO tech team to a standalone platform and explains why the post-GPT era flipped the script from “Do we need AI?” to “Which AI actually works?” We dig into AI-washing, how to vet vendors, and why adoption—not algorithms—is the real bottleneck. Jeff shares how Laivly’s desktop overlay (“Sidd”) avoids heavy integrations, speeds time-to-floor, and frees agents to focus on customers—lifting CSAT, FCR, and cutting handle time. We talk playbooks, leadership buy-in, training for tenure, and the danger of over-planning instead of launching and iterating. The conversation wraps with pragmatic advice on buying AI: get strategic, start small, and prioritize operationalization.

00:00 Why AI isn’t a hard sell anymore
01:13 Welcome & episode framing
02:31 Laivly origin: from BPO team to platform
05:39 The GPT moment & market shift
08:01 AI-washing and how to vet vendors
10:17 Many pilots, few wins—what’s going wrong
11:26 Implementation fears, security, and integration-light deployment
15:32 Adoption phases & top-down leadership buy-in
18:37 Do agents really benefit? Metrics and realities
22:27 Pilot results: AHT down, CSAT/FCR up; agent sentiment
23:23 “Sidd” gets personified: training anecdotes
24:15 Tuning for tenure: Sidd Studio & configurable guidance
27:03 Rapid-fire with Jeff (superpower, snacks, theme song)
29:26 What Laivly wants agents to feel
30:00 Buying AI: common mistakes (strategy vs. over-planning)
32:57 Start now, iterate: avoiding 12–18 month paralysis
34:04 Overlay advantage across mixed CRMs/CCaaS
35:58 Partnership notes & gratitude
36:04 Conclusion and key takeaways

Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffjanzen/
Website: https://www.laivly.com/

Send us a text

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we interview Evan Siegel, who transitioned from a 16-year career in retail banking to eGain, where he leverages AI, machine learning, and knowledge management to enhance customer experiences. Discussing the challenges of outdated tools in contact centers and how modern knowledge management systems powered by generative AI can solve these issues. Evan emphasizes the importance of a single source of truth in knowledge management and shares insights on how AI can reduce costs and improve customer service across industries. We also delve into specific strategies for financial institutions and the benefits of implementing AI-driven customer service solutions. The conversation wraps up with a look at the Virtual Financial Coach, Evan's initiative at eGain to democratize financial advice. Tune in to discover the future of customer service and how technology can transform the industry.

00:53 Meet Evan: From Banking to AI
01:37 Challenges in Contact Centers
03:26 The Role of AI in Customer Service
05:46 AI's Impact on Cost Reduction
08:08 The Future of Contact Centers
10:28 Self-Service and Customer Preferences
12:34 Migrating Knowledge Bases in Financial Institutions
16:30 Risks and Solutions in AI Implementation
20:42 The Importance of Prompt Engineering
21:16 Analytics in AI and Customer Service
23:05 Getting Started with AI in Your Company
23:19 Generative AI Hype and Realistic Expectations
24:36 Strategic Implementation of Generative AI
26:05 Buy vs. Build: Making the Right Choice
28:40 The Journey of Virtual Financial Coaching
34:06 Rapid Fire Questions with Evan
36:34 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-siegel-ab436845/
Website: https://www.egain.com/

Send us a text

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we chat with Jon Arnold, founder of an independent tech analyst company and an expert in communications technologies, about the future of AI and its strategic impacts on the industry. Jon discusses the potential backlash against AI, the dominance of big tech players, and the importance of understanding business problems when choosing technology solutions. He also shares insights on the evolution of VoIP to unified communications (UC) and the exciting trends in UCaaS, including virtual assistants, knowledge management, and immersive collaboration. The episode wraps up with rapid-fire questions revealing Jon's personal interests and his cautious yet optimistic view on AI's role in the tech industry.

Key Highlights:

- Jon Arnold's Journey into Technology Analysis: Jon begins by elaborating on his unconventional journey into technology analysis and emphasizes the importance of timing and building expertise in emerging technologies.

- The Evolution of Unified Communications: The conversation covers the evolution and future trends of Unified Communications (UC), particularly the role of AI in enhancing UC's capabilities.

- Zoom's Competitive Edge and Innovations: Jon touches on Zoom's strategic moves to compete with tech giants like Microsoft and Google, highlighting their innovative approach.

- Choosing the Right Technology for Your Business: Jon offers advice on how businesses can navigate the crowded AI and UCaaS market, stressing the importance of focusing on problem-solving rather than just technology.

- AI, Privacy, and Security Concerns: The discussion also delves into significant privacy and security concerns associated with AI, the necessity of regulation, and the dominance of big tech companies.

- Rapid Fire Questions with Jon Arnold: Uncover some interesting titbits about Jon through our short segment.

- Jon Arnold's Unpopular Opinions on AI and Big Tech: Jon shares his cautionary views about AI and its potential backlash.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarnoldassociates/

Website: https://www.jarnoldassociates.com/

Podcast: https://www.watchthisspace.tech/