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Latest Episode | March 7, 2024
#42: Feeling the Future: Emotion AI & Conversation in Call Centers, with Josh Feast
About the Podcast
First Contact Podcast it’s about a journey: in business, relationships and everyday life.
Because no one wakes up one morning and says: ‘I want to work in a call center!’, we wanted to share the compelling stories of tech leaders and entrepreneurs and how they found their way into the call center industry.
The multifarious topics, varying from technology to leadership, from recruitment to customer and agent experience are building our mission of bringing real conversations with the brightest thought leaders, and business owners.
Host Christian Montes poses questions about their life, their path, their struggles and successes, and most importantly – his conversational style is designed to help his guests open up and share their inspiring experiences and inspire thousands of loyal listeners.
Season #5
Season #4
Season #3
Season #2
Season #1
Michael
Ferree
Ferree
#20
Season 2 | Episode 10
Reinventing Lead Generation for New Consumer Behaviors, with Michael Ferree
Here we are at the end of an amazing season! For our last episode of Season 2, Lead Generation World founder, Michael Ferree joined our host Christian Montes, for a meaningful and informative conversation on performance marketing, lead generation, growing an event company through a pandemic and so much more!
Jason
Cutter
Cutter
#19
Season 2 | Episode 9
Reclaiming Sales through Authentic Persuasion, with Jason Cutter
Episode 9 is diving into the concept of authentic persuasion and intricate world of sales by providing people value through the act of selling. This is a lively discussion between two sales experts, where Jason Cutter, founder of Cutter Consulting Group and a skilled host of the Authentic Persuasion Show, & the Scalable Call Center Sales podcast is joining our host, Christian Montes.
Daryl
Gonos
Gonos
#18
Season 2 | Episode 8
The Future of Workforce Management for Contact Centers, with Daryl Gonos
For this new episode, we’re diving deep into workforce management into contact centers, with one of the pioneers of this type of enterprise solutions. With nearly 40 years of experience in the industry, Daryl Gonos is probably the best person to talk to when it comes to managing agents in this type of space.
Bruce
Belfiore
Belfiore
#17
Season 2 | Episode 7
Benchmarking and Training in Today's Contact Centers, with Bruce Belfiore
In this episode, Christian is joined by a topmost expert in the field of call center benchmarking, training, and certification – Bruce Belfiore. Bruce was both COO and CFO of different companies, and the host the CallTalk Podcast for over 12 years – there’s no shortage of business and life lessons in his background.
Marc
Bernstein
Bernstein
#16
Season 2 | Episode 6
Enabling the Contact Center of the Future with Real-Time Analytics, with Marc Bernstein
In this episode, we sit with Marc Bernstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Balto. We discuss Balto’s success as an AI startup, sentiment analysis and its use, the impact of AI integration on agents, what is the age of anti script, post-analytics and much more.
Frank
Wassenbergh
Wassenbergh
#15
Season 2 | Episode 5
CCaaS and The Challenges of Cloud Migration, with Frank Wassenbergh
Frank is bringing his real-world knowledge and experience to the table on the topic of CCaas migration, its numerous advantages and the challenges it involves. He’s also the CCaaS Practice Leader & Managing Partner of Cloudlink, and co-host of The CX Experience Video Series.
Fred
Stacey
Stacey
#14
Season 2 | Episode 4
The Contact Center Tech Shift During the Pandemic, with Fred Stacey
For this episode, one of the most influential voices in the industry joined us for a lively discussion on contact centers and the pandemic tech shift. Fred Stacey is the co-founder and general manager of Cloud Call Center Search and also does important work with Outsource Consultants. Tune in and enjoy!
Colin
Shaw
Shaw
#13
Season 2 | Episode 3
Customer Memories and the True Value of CX, with Colin Shaw
Colin Shaw is a Pioneer in Customer Experience & Loyalty and one of the ‘World’s Top 150 Business Influencers’. Join us for an enlightened episode on fostering customer-driven growth for contact centers, the core value of CX and understanding consumer’s needs.
Gary
Pudles
Pudles
#12
Season 2 | Episode 2
The Unexpected Journey of a Serial Entrepreneur, with Gary Pudles
We continue our inspiring series of episodes, with Gary Pudles. He is a contact center industry veteran, with decades of experience in helping organizations grow and being more profitable. Find out his story in this lively and valuable discussion!
Steve
Bederman
Bederman
#11
Season 2 | Episode 1
A Lifetime of Lessons Learned, with Steve Bederman
Contact center enthusiasts draw near, Season 2 is here! To keep the tradition, this season will also be opened by our beloved CEO, Steve Bederman. Don’t miss this upbeat discussion about literature, leadership, contact center trends and a lifetime of lessons learned.
Some of the featured guests we had on the show
Shep Hyken
Juanita Coley
Harry Strausser III
Steve Bederman
Jason Cutter
Colin Shaw
Brad Cleveland
Michael Tamer
Gary Pudles
Bob Furniss
Michael Ferree
Jon Arnold
About our Podcast Host
With over 15 years of leveraging technology and creative tactics to drive outcomes, Christian has worked with some of the largest Enterprise Contact Centers, BPOs, and Global CCaaS providers in the world.
Host of the First Contact – Stories of the Call Center Podcast, where he interviews leaders from the contact center industry searching for new insights, tips, and stories. Also, host of the NobelBiz | Webinar Series, which brings top leaders in the industry together to discuss important topics and share best practices.
‘It’s really not about being only a call center. This business is driving outcomes for other companies and how they interact with people.’
