Tune into conversations with customer service experts to discover never-seen-before best practices, challenges, real-life success stories, and more.

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&#34;This call may be recorded for training and quality purposes.&#34; Most of those calls never get reviewed. That is what Rob Dwyer, Sr. Technical Account Manager at Level AI, and Sarah Caminiti get into, in this episode of Experience Matters. They discuss how AI QA replaces spot-checking with full customer conversation coverage, and why the real shift is not just visibility, but understanding patterns across every interaction. Rob&#39;s takeaway is simple: quality cannot be improved if most of your customer conversations are never seen.

Rob Dwyer on Why "This Call May Be Recorded" Was Always a Lie

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AI can generate answers, but it can’t improve how your team thinks or decides.In this episode of Experience Matters by Hiver, Donald Thompson explains why most teams get AI wrong, how it quietly leads to “average work at scale,” and why speed without judgment creates more problems than it solves. In customer support, this shows up as faster replies that sound right but miss context, forcing customers to repeat themselves or prolonging resolution.He breaks down what actually changes when AI takes over routine work, and why the real advantage comes from teams that know how to ask better questions, structure their thinking, and use AI to generate options, not decisions.Tune in to understand why better thinking, not faster answers, is what ultimately drives performance.

Donald Thompson on the Cost of Using AI the Wrong Way

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Would you trust AI with your company’s finances if it were only right 95% of the time? Matt Remuzzi, Owner of CapForge, joins Niraj, CEO and Co-founder of Hiver, to explain why that missing 5% can cause real financial problems. They discuss where AI helps accountants move faster and why human oversight still matters when the numbers count.Matt’s approach is simple: use AI to move faster, but never let it have the final word. He also shares how responding to clients within 45 minutes instead of the typical 5 days builds trust and drives referrals. But when it comes to financial results, speed doesn’t matter if the numbers aren’t right.﻿If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts.

CapForge’s Matt Remuzzi on Why 95% AI Accuracy Isn’t Enough for Scaling an Accounting Firm

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A human agent might cost $30 an hour. But a single support interaction they handle could protect $3,000 in revenue.In this episode of Experience Matters, Patrick Brown (Founder &amp; CEO, Unity Communications) breaks down where AI actually works in support workflows and where it costs you money. AI can confirm appointments, send reminders, and handle structured “yes or no” workflows at scale. But when a conversation turns into an exception like a patient flagging an insurance issue before a medical appointment, that’s when automation reaches its limits. And without a fast human handoff, real revenue is at risk.Patrick also explains why 80% of customers come back when their issues are handled well, and why support is one of the cheapest growth levers that most companies still treat as a cost center.If you’re leading customer service, this episode will challenge how you think about automation, retention, and growth.

CEO of an award-winning BPO: AI Can’t Handle This… And It’s Worth $3,000

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Before a doctor can see patients, hospitals must complete a lengthy, complex credentialing process. Licenses, background checks, and past hospital affiliations. Miss one file or delay one approval, and a clinician can’t practice. Patients wait. Admin teams scramble.This is the world Jordan Hooker works in.He leads customer experience at Axuall, a healthcare technology company focused on credentialing clinicians. This process, which once took months, has been transformed by automation, with Axuall automating up to 90% of the work.In this episode of Experience Matters, Jordan shares what healthcare workflows look like in practice. Where automation works, where it breaks, and why human support still matters when things don’t go to plan.#Hiver #CustomerSupport #CustomerExperience #AIandCX #CXLeadership #SupportInsights #customer #customerservice #customercare #customercare #EmpathyInSupport #BusinessGrowth #Podcast #artificialintelligence

Jordan on Why 90% Automation Demands Human Support in Healthcare

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CorpNet didn’t scale 7x by chance. For Nellie Akalp, the real turning point was a deliberate shift from a high-volume B2C model to a focused B2B strategy. In this episode of Experience Matters by Hiver, host and Founder-CEO of Hiver, Niraj Ranjan Rout, chats with Nellie about the decision that reset CorpNet’s trajectory and how it changed everything that came after. She explains why the move to B2B required a higher-touch model, how her team built processes to support more complex customer needs, and why trust became the single, non-negotiable requirement.Nellie also talks about managing rising workloads without losing responsiveness, the culture shifts that kept her team aligned as headcount grew from 15 to 100+, and the leadership changes she had to make as the company scaled.

Nellie Akalp’s Playbook for Scaling a Business 7x in 2026

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Most contact centers obsess over AHT and CSAT, but Luke Jamieson argues these metrics only tell the story after the damage is done. The real problems often start earlier. Poor audio, unstable networks, and device issues can derail a call long before an agent ever speaks.That’s why Luke champions CX observability. It uncovers the upstream technical friction that quietly shapes customer experience.In this episode, he breaks down what Operata learned from analysing 148,000 customer calls, how these insights reshape performance models, and why AI is redefining the agent’s role.

What 20 Years in Contact Centers Taught Luke Jamieson About CX Observability

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Everyone talks about remote work. Few know how to make it work.At Flight CX, Chloe Shill leads a global support operation built on structure, trust, and connection. In this episode, she joins Niraj Ranjan Rout to talk about how she keeps teams aligned, motivated, and where AI really adds value.

Chloe Shill on the Systems and AI Behind Great Remote Teams

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Christian Sokolowski, VP of Customer Support at Rebuy Engine, built an AI support workflow that now resolves 45% of tickets automatically. He shares how his team connects knowledge bases, trains AI with live interactions, and feeds insights back to the product. A practical look at building AI support that’s fast, accurate, and human.

Christian Sokolowski’s  AI customer support playbook every leader should hear

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Tod Ellington, VP of Ops at Whitestone, shares how he scaled operations by connecting systems. Learn how he rolled out Hiver, Asana, and Zoho Analytics, cleaned up workflows, and gave every team visibility into what matters. This episode can be the operations playbook you were waiting for.

How Tod Ellington built a team that can handle any client request

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Some support leaders think the fastest way to resolve a technical customer issue is to put an engineer on the phone. Miles Goldstein has led global support teams at Okta, Marketo, and Amobee — and he’s seen why this can go wrong.“I wouldn’t put most engineers on a call with customers — they’re too black and white,” Miles says. Customers bring more than just a bug report. They bring urgency, emotion, and expectations that go far beyond the code.In this episode of Experience Matters, Miles joins Hiver’s CEO, Niraj, to share why engineers aren’t always the right fit for live customer calls and how to keep them deeply engaged with customer problems without creating friction.What you’ll learn: ✅ Why Miles won’t put most engineers on live calls — and what he does instead. ✅ How to connect recurring support patterns directly to product roadmaps. ✅ The key to building trust between support and engineering. ✅ Why scaling broken processes only makes failures faster.Miles’ advice will help you design systems that deliver the right answer the first time — and make customers feel like they never had to fight for it.#Hiver #CustomerService #CustomerSupport #EmailManagement #EmailCustomerSupport #CustomerFeedback #CustomerExperience #ExperienceMatters #CustomerServiceExcellence #TransformingCustomerService #GrowthEngine #CustomerRetention #BusinessStrategy #RevenueGrowth #Podcast #VoiceOfCustomer #CustomerSupport #CXLeadership #Hiver #ExperienceMatters

Why Miles Goldstein Says Most Engineers Shouldn’t Talk to Customers

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What happens when customer support starts shaping company strategy?Karen Lam, Director of Customer Support at Top Hat, made that shift. She took a routine feedback system and turned it into a movement, one that aligned product, engineering, and finance around the customer’s voice.In this episode of Experience Matters, Karen reveals:<ul><li>How she designed bi-weekly VoC rituals that made feedback actionable</li><li>The Slack-based feedback loop that made team collaboration second nature</li><li>Why Kaizen-style iteration beats big one-time overhauls</li><li>How she distilled 500+ articles into a high-impact, zero-fluff help center</li></ul> This episode is a playbook for any leader who wants to make customer feedback part of how the entire company thinks and operates.

Karen Lam on Using VoC to Align Product, Finance, and Support | Experience Matters Podcast: Episode 08

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In this episode of Experience Matters, Sarah Caminiti, Manager of Customer Support at Tailscale, shares how she turned support into a driver of product and business decisions.She didn’t wait for AI. She was reviewing tickets by hand, spotting patterns, and pushing those insights into product and strategy. Now, with AI tools in place, her team can move faster. But the mission is still the same: listen, experiment, and drive real change.Listen in as Sarah reveals:✅ How to use AI to spot trends, not monitor agents.✅ Why trust and safety matter more than KPIs.✅ How to hire for clarity and customer instincts.✅ How CX teams can earn a seat at the strategy table.✅ When it’s time to walk away from companies that don’t value support.

Sarah Caminiti on using customer support to drive product innovation | Experience Matters Podcast: Episode 07

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A lot of companies say they’re customer-centric. But what does it actually take to make that happen?In this episode of Experience Matters, Annette Franz—Founder &amp; CEO of CX Journey Inc. and author of Built to Win—joins Niraj, CEO and Co-Founder of Hiver, to talk about what real customer-centricity looks like.Annette shares why many businesses struggle with churn and competition, not because of bad support, but because they don’t truly understand their customers. She also explains how startups can build a strong customer focus early on, and why it’s harder for bigger companies to change.What’s covered in this episode:✅ Why understanding your customer is the key to fixing churn✅ How startups can build customer-centricity from day one✅ What larger companies need to unlearn to get CX right✅ Why leadership and company culture matter more than tools✅ How AI can support better customer experiences, without replacing peopleWhether you’re just starting out or operating at scale, this episode will help you rethink your approach to customer experience.

Annette Franz on why customer-centricity can’t be an afterthought | Experience Matters Podcast: Episode 06

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What if your biggest customer experience problem isn’t slow response times but everything happening behind the scenes?Too many companies believe faster support means better customer experience. But in reality, frustrated employees, broken processes, and disconnected teams create far bigger problems.In this episode of Experience Matters, Lynn Hunsaker, Chief Customer Officer at ClearAction Continuum, joins Niraj, CEO and Co-Founder of Hiver, to explain why customer experience can’t be improved in isolation.Listen in as Lynn reveals:✅ Why misaligned goals and assumptions create friction. And how fixing them is the first step to real customer experience change.✅ How embedding customer feedback into daily workflows can naturally improve customer experience✅ Why customer experience isn’t one team’s responsibility but everyone’s job.

Lynn Hunsaker on why providing faster support won't fix customer experience | Experience Matters Podcast: Episode 05

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What can frustrated customers teach you about leadership? What does bad customer service and bad haircuts have in common? Kel Kurekgi, Senior Global Customer Experience Manager at Zapier, gets candid on this episode of Experience Matters. He talks about how handling the toughest customers shaped his approach to CX and how AI is helping teams deliver smarter service.From writing scripts for the BBC and Cloud 9 to leading global CX teams, Kel’s career journey proves that success rarely follows a straight path. Tune in to listen to him talk about:✅ Why bad customer service feels like a bad haircut (and what to do about it)✅ How to prevent burnout when dealing with difficult customers.✅ The key to ensuring AI empowers your team and not replace it.

What Tough Customers (and Bad Haircuts) Taught Kel Kurekgi About Customer Experience | Experience Matters Podcast: Episode 04

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Episode HighlightsThe Intersection of Marketing and CX: Marti explores the critical role of integrating marketing strategies with customer experience initiatives to drive brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.Leveraging Data for Personalization: She emphasizes the importance of using data to understand customer needs and preferences, enabling businesses to deliver personalized experiences that resonate with their audience.Building a Customer-Centric Culture: Marti discusses the importance of fostering a customer-centric culture within organizations, highlighting how it can lead to improved customer loyalty and business success.In this episode of Experience Matters, we delve into the world of IT operations and support with Marti Clark, a seasoned professional from Salesforce (ex-Google). Marti shares her experience managing the transition of 200,000 employees back to the Google office post-pandemic, highlighting the challenges and innovative solutions involved in the process. She discusses the significance of collaboration across departments, the pivotal role of technology in facilitating smooth transitions, and the importance of customer effort scores in enhancing internal support services. Marti&#39;s journey from managing external customer interactions with AdWords to focusing on internal IT support showcases her adaptability and commitment to excellence in customer service, offering listeners a wealth of insights into the nuances of customer support in both external and internal contexts.Clark dives deep into the concept of &#39;marketing with a purpose,&#39; urging businesses to align their objectives with their customers&#39; values. &#34;When your brand&#39;s purpose aligns with your audience&#39;s beliefs, magic happens,&#34; Marti explains, showcasing how such alignment drives customer loyalty and fosters a sense of community around a brand.Through her engaging conversation, Marti Clark leaves listeners with a powerful message: &#34;In the end, our stories are the legacy we leave behind. Make them count.&#34; This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact through their marketing efforts, offering valuable insights into creating stories that not only sell but also inspire.

Redefining Tech Support with Marti Clark: Inside Google's IT Support Revolution

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Episode HighlightsThe Role of Empathy and Curiosity: Greg advocates for fostering a culture of empathy and curiosity within organizations, encouraging employees to actively listen to and engage with customers to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction.Systematic Design for Proactive Solutions: He emphasizes the importance of investing in predictive analytics and customer journey mapping to anticipate customer needs and design proactive solutions.Importance of Aligning Systems to Serve Customers: He highlights the need for regular reviews of internal processes and systems to ensure they are aligned with enhancing customer experience.In this episode of Experience Matters, Greg Melia, CEO of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), imparts his vast knowledge of the intricacies of customer experience (CX). Greg emphasizes the importance of empathy and curiosity in CX, stating, &#34;The first key that we need to have is empathy connected with curiosity.&#34; He shares insights on the evolution of CX as a discipline and how it&#39;s shaped by a blend of psychology, organizational design, and systems theory, aiming for outcomes beneficial to customers, employees, and the bottom line. Highlighting the need for a systematic approach to CX, Greg explains, &#34;It&#39;s about designing and intentionally working to create a better outcome.&#34;Greg also draws attention to the transformative power of storytelling in CX, illustrating how shared stories can profoundly influence customer perception and brand loyalty. He asserts, &#34;Stories are the currency of human connection,&#34; underscoring the role of narratives in crafting compelling customer journeys that resonate on a personal level.With this episode, listeners are not only treated to a masterclass in customer experience but also to a narrative-rich exploration of how empathy, curiosity, and storytelling intersect in order to drive business growth.

Greg Melia’s Customer Experience Must-Haves: Empathy, Curiosity, and Storytelling

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Episode HighlightsThe Power of Customer Feedback: Shep emphasizes the critical importance of leveraging customer feedback to transform service interactions into opportunities for revenue generation.Data-Driven Insights: Sharing insights from his annual survey, Shep reveals that nearly a quarter of customers would not return after just a satisfactory experience, underlining the need for businesses to aim beyond satisfaction.Creating &#39;Moments of Magic&#39;: He discusses the significance of creating customer experiences that exceed expectations, even slightly, to foster loyalty and repeat business, coining these as &#39;Moments of Magic.&#39;In the first episode of Experience Matters, visionary customer service and CX expert Shep Hyken delves into the transformative potential of customer service. He discusses how businesses can convert service interactions into revenue opportunities. Drawing from his extensive background and recent surveys conducted by his company, he illustrates the stark contrast between moments of mediocrity and true customer delight, underscoring the significance of consistency, predictability, and the strategic leveraging of customer feedback. “You are the first person to hear this information based on this year&#39;s annual survey, which just came back to me last week,” says Shep, sharing some key takeaways and data points from his annual survey with the listeners. “Almost a quarter of the customers, 23%, said that if they had a ‘satisfied’ experience, they are either not likely or would never come back,” emphasizing the need to create customer experiences that truly stand out.Hyken underlines the criticality of elevating customer experiences beyond mere satisfaction to create &#39;Moments of Magic&#39;—experiences that exceed expectations. He dives deeper into what makes a customer interaction better than others. He simplifies the answer to an age-old question: How can customer service teams truly define this “better” and create more impactful customer experiences?

Transforming Customer Service into Revenue with Shep Hyken

Tune into conversations with customer service experts to discover never-seen-before best practices, challenges, real-life success stories, and more.