The Angus & Pete Show CX Podcast

• Ep 30 | The Whistlestop Tour

  Welcome to Episode 30 of The Angus and Pete Show. This special episode serves as a comprehensive recap of the first 29 episodes. The idea was inspired by avid listener Cyrille from Nairobi, who found episode recaps useful for weekly podcasts to revisit content or catch up on missed episodes. Finding their own back catalogue "heavy going," Angus and Pete enlisted their friendly AI assistant to summarise their journey so far, providing quick rundowns and reasons to revisit specific segments. Key themes covered across the first 29 episodes include: Analysts & Industry Evolution: Understanding the influential, yet often opaque, role of analysts like Gartner, and the history and jargon of the CX industry. AI: Explored across multiple episodes, focusing on business value over technical jargon, hybrid human-AI collaboration, personalisation, ethics, sustainability, cost of ownership, and early findings on savings and workforce impact. RFPs & Sales Strategy: A multi-part series on running effective Request for Proposal processes for buyers, and crafting high-quality, honest proposals for sellers. Building a Practice & Go-to-Market: Advice for sellers and resellers on transitioning to cloud solutions, choosing partners, and aligning product, marketing, and sales for consistent messaging and successful launches. EMEA & Cultural Nuances: Highlighting that EMEA is not a single market, emphasising the need for country-specific research, local trust, and understanding cultural impacts on business. Boardroom & Business Cases: Discussions on why business cases are rejected, equipping champions with financial metrics, and understanding CFO and board priorities like strategic alignment, ROI, TCO, and risk mitigation over short-term gains. Customer Interaction: Covering effective discovery, making pitches stand out, demonstration types, and the evolving role of outbound contact with a shift towards messaging and the concept of "Uber agents". Proposition & Sales Engineers: Defining the difference between brand, product, and proposition, and the crucial role of sales engineers in selling product value. Angus and Pete hope this overview encourages listeners to re-immerse themselves in the show. Don't forget to follow The Angus and Pete Show page on LinkedIn and subscribe on your favourite podcast platform.

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• Ep 29 | News Beat: June 2025

  In this episode, your hosts Angus Peacey and Pete Brown delve into three compelling news articles from 10th June, exploring the dynamic interplay between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in customer service, contact centres, and customer experience (CX) News Topics Dissected: The Human Touch in AI Assistants: Drawing on an article from Fast Company titled "AI Assistants Still Need a Human Touch" by Alexander Kosavan, we explore why AI, despite its advancements, still struggles with understanding user context and intent. Gartner's Prediction: AI and Workforce Reduction: We dissect a thought-provoking Gartner article predicting that 50% of organisations will abandon plans to reduce their customer service workforce due to AI. Tackling High Agent Turnover in Contact Centres: Based on an article from customerthink.com by Wailios Aaron Batsis, this discussion confronts the persistent problem of high staff turnover in contact centres.   Tune in to discover the hosts' "biting judgment and unpopular opinions" on these pressing topics, and gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of customer engagement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Key Takeaways for Listeners: AI Needs a Human-Centric Approach: AI, in its current state, often struggles with context and emotional intelligence. While it can be useful for tailoring content, over-personalisation can be counterproductive or creepy. AI is Not a Panacea; Human Touch Remains Critical: Many organisations are re-evaluating their plans to replace human agents with AI. The focus is shifting to how AI can support and enhance human capabilities, rather than eliminate them, as trust is paramount in customer service. Embrace the Hybrid Model for Best Results: The most effective way to deliver a good customer experience is through a hybrid model that combines AI with human agents. AI should act as a complement to humans, not a replacement, aiding efficiency and accuracy while humans provide empathy. "Digital First, Not Digital Only" is Key: Before attempting to implement AI, organisations must establish a strong foundation of clear digital journeys and channels. AI should be integrated strategically into this existing digital framework, not seen as a prerequisite for going digital. Re-evaluate Traditional Contact Centre Staffing Models: The current model for contact centre staffing is flawed, leading to high turnover and high costs. Exploring cultural changes, freelance models, and flexible hybrid working options can improve agent satisfaction, reduce churn, and potentially enhance service quality. AI Can Support Freelance Agents: If considering a freelance agent model, AI can play a crucial role in providing the consistency and depth of knowledge that might otherwise be a concern with independent agents.

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• Ep 28 | CX Insider: Vinay on CX in the Boardroom

  Join us for an exclusive deep dive with CX Insider Vinay Parmar, Managing Director of Customer Whisperers Ltd, as he shares invaluable insights from his journey from contact centre agent to board-level executive. Discover the stark realities of how customer experience plays out in the boardroom and learn what truly resonates with senior leadership. This episode offers a candid look at bridging the gap between sales and strategic decision-making. Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Vinay: • Lived experience is incredibly valuable for leaders as it fosters empathy and enables a deeper understanding of frontline operations, helping to challenge narratives from the top. • Customer Experience (CX) encompasses all customer touchpoints, forming collective memories that drive future decisions, extending far beyond typical customer service or contact centre metrics. • Inconsistency in customer interactions significantly erodes trust and loyalty, impacting a brand's reputation and future business relationships. • Boards fundamentally prioritise risk and reward, focusing on increasing revenue, reducing costs, and ensuring regulatory compliance when evaluating initiatives. • Effective selling to the boardroom requires active listening, thorough research into specific problems, and presenting solutions with utmost simplicity, avoiding generic pitches or complex technical jargon. If you want to find out more about Vinay or contact him, go to his website: https://customerwhisperers.com/

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• Ep 27 | GTM? Who's Job is it Anyway?

  Curious how software products successfully reach customers? Episode 27 of The Angus and Pete Show tackles a listener's dilemma: defining the different go-to-market roles in a software vendor. Angus and Pete break down key functions, from product strategy and channel partnerships to sales enablement, especially for SaaS products with reseller channels. Learn why clear ownership, consistent messaging, and strong enablement are crucial to avoid chaos and drive market success. Takeaways from this episode: Product is the Foundational Role: The Product House defines the product, its market fit, features, packaging, pricing strategy, and even operational elements like billing and order processing. Channel Strategy is Critical for Market Entry and Scale: The Channel organisation owns the route to market through partners, focusing on segmentation, recruitment, enablement, and financial incentives like spiffs and market development funds. Sales Enablement Bridges the Gap: A defined sales enablement function translates product and marketing material into actionable insights for both internal sales teams and external reseller partners, ensuring consistent and efficient communication. Consistent Messaging is Non-Negotiable: All teams, internal and external, must deliver a unified message, with the proposition "nailed up front," to avoid buyer confusion or exploitation of inconsistencies. Authoritative Cross-Functional Ownership is Paramount: Success hinges on clear, authoritative owners in the Product House, Channel organisation, and Sales, who must collaborate seamlessly due to their fundamental interdependencies.

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• Ep 26 | It's the Proposition, Stupid!

  In this episode, Angus and Pete focus on the significance of sales propositions, brand perception, and the shift from product-centric to proposition-centric strategies. They discuss how understanding the differences between brand, product, and proposition can enhance marketing efforts and drive sales. The conversation emphasizes the importance of crafting compelling propositions that resonate with buyers and differentiate offerings in a crowded market. Takeaways Understand the difference between brand, product, and proposition. Buyers are focused on their own problems, not on your product specs. Differentiating is key to competitive advantage. Use the right language for your audience at the right time. A strong proposition is essential for effective selling. A good proposition gives you strategic differentiation. Crafting effective propositions is challenging but necessary. Focus on the customer’s needs, not just product features. Keywords customer engagement, sales proposition, brand, product, customer experience, differentiation, marketing strategy, contact center, CX, value proposition

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