First Contact: Stories of the Call Center

Reasons Why Telemarketing and Cold Calling are Still Worth it: Jeremy Chen

Welcome to a new episode, where we’ll dive deep into the world of B2B sales with sales expert Jeremy Chen, who helps B2B technology companies perfect their sales teams go-to-market strategy. In this episode, he is dropping some real knowledge on the intricates part of sales management, the structure of a perfect cold call and the mindset behind it, why telemarketing is still alive and the future of outbound calling.

Embracing Mistakes and Putting People First, a CX Approach: Bob Furniss

Customer service is one of our favorite topics to tackle in this show, but having Bob Furniss over for this special episode was truly something. For almost 40 years in the industry, Bob Furniss is known as the renowned customer service and experience expert, and his mission will always be driving customer success by designing effective service and support strategies for his clients. This is episode 6, Season 3 from First Contact: Stories of the Call Center, join us on this journey of service mentality, AI, digital front doors and a lesson on living!

Employee Satisfaction and a 360 View on Contact Centers, with Colin Taylor

It was a joy to have Colin Taylor, the CX expert, on our show for an awe-inspiring and upbeat discussion on customer journey, employee satisfaction, self-service and much more! Leading The Taylor Reach Group to success in call center and management consulting for almost 20 years, Taylor is the CEO & CCO (Chief Chaos Officer) and one of Canada’s leading contact/call center pioneers, leaders and influencers. a joy indeed

Digital Transformation and Future of Work for Contact Centers: Jon Arnold

Jon Arnold is a widely followed analyst and thought leader with a strong presence in the media and a focus on communication technologies, unified communications, AI, contact centers and more! We recently talked to Jon about a mindset shift and newfound expectations in adopting new tools and technologies, megatrends, and his favorite piano songs! This is Season 3, Episode 4 of First Contact: Stories of the Call Center!

Holistic Call Center Training using Rewards and Recognition: Michael Tamer

Today we’re joined by a veteran of the contact center industry, a training expert, CEO, author, and podcaster himself - you might know him as the Contact Center Coach - Michael Tamer.  Michael started in the entry levels of the call center, gained more than 40 years of experience in the industry and is a visionary who was at the forefront of contact center quality monitoring software development. He worked his way up to becoming one of the most influential voices of the contact center space, teaching the benefits of quality to organizations all over the world, including the United States Senate.

Call Center Culture and The Secret Sauce of a Successful Phone Call: Richard Blank

Richard Blank, outsourcing industry leader and the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, joins our podcast for an exciting new episode. Christian and Richard discuss what makes a successful phone call, strong corporate culture and leadership, owning engagement through retro gaming, to name a few themes. 
Tune in on a new story, one of many twists and turns, while Richard is taking us along his fascinating journey of building and leading one of the largest BPOs of Central America. 

Changing Customer Perceptions in the Collection Industry and the Rise of Self-Service: Harry Strausser III

Well, well, well, if it’s not the first episode from season three of the First Contact: Stories of a Call Center podcast! We have the pleasure of kicking off this new journey with one of the most widely-known individuals in the ARM landscape. Harry Strausser III is a well-respected voice of the collection industry and a certified ACA instructor, educator, and speaker. Join us in this talk on self-service and the future of collections, bringing in new perspectives, the importance of training, and many more topics!

Reinventing Lead Generation for New Consumer Behaviors: Michael Ferree

Whew, what a wild ride it's been for our show this year. This month, we're ending on a high as you've come to expect. We've got Michael Ferree here to chat with Christian about a topic that's been eluding our show for a surprising amount of time considering we're all about contact centers. Of course, we're talking about Lead Generation. Michael is an industry connoisseur, leading two major events in the contact center space - Lead Generation World and Contact.io. Beyond this, his expertise and connections in the lead gen space make him THE person to talk to regarding this much-debated and controversial topic. So let's hear what he has to say - this is First Contact, Stories of the Call Center, episode 10 of Season 2 with Michael Ferree.

Reclaiming Sales through Authentic Persuasion: Jason Cutter

A frank discussion between two seasoned salespeople? A hard look at the concept of persuasion and how to use it for sales? A genuine connection about providing people value through the act of selling? Episode 9 of First Contact, Stories of the Call Center is all of those things and more! Join Christian as he delves deep into the core of sales in a brilliant discussion with Jason Cutter, podcaster extraordinaire and founder of Cutter Consultancy Group, a sales advisory firm that supercharges sales success for companies around the globe. Learn more about the ins and outs of sales and what it is, and also what it's not! This is First Contact, Stories of the Call Center, episode 9 of season 2 with Jason Cutter.

The Future of Workforce Management for Contact Centers: Daryl Gonos

Workforce management is not typically a topic we cover on our show, but this month we've got Daryl Gonos here with us to make that right. He's the Founder & CEO of Community, a modern workforce management solution specifically tailored to omnichannel  call centers, currently in use by some of the biggest names in the space. With over 40 years of experience, Daryl talks to Christian about all the shifts in workforce mentalities that happened throughout his career, as well as what agents expect from their managers and senior staff today, moving beyond the pandemic. This is First Contact, Stories of the Call Center, episode 8 of season 2, with Daryl Gonos.