The Syndeo Podcast

The Syndeo Podcast

The Syndeo Podcast, hosted by Oliver Lennon delves deep into all things Conversational AI with some of the sharpest brains from the most innovative companies in the world of Customer Experience (CX). These are not a series of interviews, but conversations – a regular discourse designed to provoke, educate and enlighten business professionals with insights, learning and guidance on leveraging conversational AI to deliver meaningful CX. Music by chillmore from Pixabay

Episodes

November 20, 2024 48 mins

In this episode, Oliver Lennon chats with Jacqui Turner – fondly known as the Customer Service Dancing Queen to explore the vital role of human connection in customer experience. Jacqui shares insights from her 28-year career spanning training, coaching, and customer service, emphasizing the importance of fostering brand loyalty through empathy, consistency, and empowered employees. Together, they discuss how organizations can over...

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In this episode of the Syndeo Podcast, host Oliver Lennon chats with Isabelle Staub, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Twilio, to uncover how AI and automation are transforming customer experience in the Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) industry. Isabelle shares her fascinating journey from a two-decade career in finance to leading operations at one of the most innovative companies in tech. She reveals how T...

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In this episode, host Oliver Lennon welcomes Dr. Michael Kollo, CEO of Evolved.ai, for an insightful conversation on the intersection of AI, finance and the future of work. Dr. Kollo, with a background in quantitative finance and over 15 years of experience in AI, shares his journey from academia to pioneering AI applications in asset management. The discussion unpacks how AI, particularly natural language processing and sentiment ...

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In this episode, host Oliver Lennon engages with Ray McDiarmid, an industry veteran with deep expertise in customer experience (CX) and the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Ray reflects on his extensive career, spanning travel, hospitality and private equity, to offer a unique perspective on the shifts occurring in customer service. From the rise of AI and large language models to the emerging role of automation, Ray an...

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In this episode, host Oliver Lennon is joined by Simon Kriss, Australia’s leading voice on AI in Customer Experience (CX). Author of “The AI Empowered Customer Experience”, Simon is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, named among the 2024 CX Top 50 Global Influencers to follow. With over 30 years of experience in the contact center and CX industry, Simon provides a deep dive into the transformative power of generative AI...

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In this episode of the Syndeo Podcast, host Oliver Lennon welcomes Bruce Pollock, Value Principal at NICE, to discuss the transformative potential of AI in customer experience.

Drawing on his 30 years of industry expertise, Bruce shares insights into how AI can help businesses overcome common challenges like "analysis paralysis," while offering a path toward smarter, more efficient customer interactions. The conversation covers th...

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In this episode, host Oliver Lennon is joined by Naomh McElhatton, Co-founder and CEO of Dara & Co., an AI-powered wellbeing platform. Naomh, a seasoned tech entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in marketing, digital technology and innovation, shares her journey from the early days of her career to leading a company that blends AI with human empathy to enhance personal development and digital wellbeing. 

 

Naomh sha...

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Join host Oliver Lennon for the second part of his conversation with Chris Gillen, CEO and co-owner of A Closer Look (ACL), a customer experience consultancy that helps brands build authentic and enduring customer-centric brand loyalty. Chris brings nearly three decades of expertise in customer experience, particularly in the retail space with major brands like Target, Home Depot, and Toys R Us. 

Chris draws fascinating parallels b...

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In this episode host, Oliver Lennon is joined by Chris Gillen, CEO and co-owner of A Closer Look (ACL), a customer experience consultancy that helps brands build authentic and enduring customer-centric brand loyalty. Chris brings nearly three decades of expertise in customer experience, particularly in the retail space with major brands like Target, Home Depot and Toys R Us. 

Discover the intricate dynamics of brand loyalty as Chri...

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In this episode host, Oliver Lennon chats with Karin Aalberts, European Head of CX & EX Digital Business Consulting & Innovation at Orange Business about the evolving landscape of customer and employee experience (CX and EX). Karin, with a robust background in data science and omnichannel strategies, shares her extensive knowledge on the critical role of technology in simplifying and enhancing both customer and employee int...

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Join host, Oliver Lennon as he chats with Alok Kulkarni, a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Cyara, one of the world’s leading AI and voice testing companies. With over two decades of experience in the CX industry, Alok delves into the dynamic world of customer experience transformation. Discover how AI and voice technologies are revolutionising the way businesses interact with their customers. Alok sh...

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Join host Oliver Lennon as he kicks off series two of the Syndeo Podcast with CX thought leader, innovator and foresight strategist, Paula Kennedy Garcia. Renowned for her visionary thinking, Paula has earned multiple awards for innovation and futurist leadership, fuelling growth and advancing customer and user experiences with the use of emerging technologies like AI, neuroscience, machine learning and...

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In this episode host, Oliver Lennon is joined by Marina Ashurkina, a distinguished professional with over 13 years of Conversational AI industry experience. Marina has made significant contributions to the development of voice technologies like Siri and has been involved in various startups working on multiple exciting projects including, api.ai, a conversation platform acquired by Google in 2016 (now D...

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In this enlightening episode, Oliver is joined by Mike McTear, Emeritus Professor at Ulster University to delve into the evolving world of Conversational AI and its broader implications. With a career spanning over two decades in the field of spoken and conversational dialogue systems, Mike offers an unparalleled depth of knowledge and experience. As he nears the completion of his upcoming book, set for release in early 2024, he sh...

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In this episode Oliver Lennon welcomes John Lush, an esteemed expert in the realm of customer service and experience. Boasting two decades of hands-on expertise, John’s prowess spans contact centres, CRM platforms, self-service tools, online chat, social media, mobile apps and IVR. His innovative approach and leadership skills have been instrumental in prominent organisations like Vodafone, Accenture, Ei...

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Join Oliver Lennon in this captivating episode as he catches up with Nat Walker, the Chatbot Experience & Linguistic Lead at Vodafone. With an impressive background in UX projects for giants like Google, Swarovski, and the Design Museum, Nat has been at the forefront of Vodafone’s Conversational AI product, TOBi, since 2017. 

Dive into the world of Conversational design as Nat sheds light on its significance, demystifies its co...

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Join host, Oliver Lennon and Verint Systems Inc’s AI experts, Ian Beaver and Scott Lindsay, in this enlightening episode as they delve into the world of LLMs. Ian, Verint’s Chief Scientist, and Scott, the Senior Director of Product Strategy for the Da Vinci AI Platform, bring their decades of experience together to provide a comprehensive understanding of LLMs and how they work. 

Prepare to be captivated by their insights and predi...

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Join host Oliver Lennon as he welcomes B2B social media trailblazer and renowned tech influencer, Evan Kirstel to the podcast. With a strong background in enterprise tech, working with notable companies such as Philips and Oracle, Evan has dedicated the past decade to staying at the forefront of cutting-edge technology. Through his content creation and community building efforts, he has amassed an enormous following within the B2B ...

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In this episode, our host Oliver Lennon engages in a thoughtful conversation with Matt Pyke, the Senior Director of Strategic Partner Business Development at Verint, a global leader in customer engagement.

They discuss the ‘Engagement Capacity Gap’ and its significance in delivering exceptional customer experience. Matt chats about how this gap has widened in recent years and ...

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In this episode, Oliver Lennon is joined by Nicolas de Kouchkovsky, an expert in customer experience and customer-facing technology markets. Nicolas has extensive industry experience, having held various executive roles, including CMO in companies like Genesys and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. As a Fractional CMO with CaCube Consulting, he leverages this vast experience to help companies drive growth and innovat...

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