Mike Ortegon is a customer solutions director at Yoummday. He is an American based in London and he has a focus on the global travel industry - with a long track record of leadership roles in travel companies.

Mark Hillary called Mike to talk about travel. How has it recovered since the pandemic? What trends are travel companies seeing that are new for the 2020s? Are travel companies becoming more proactive in their approach to the customer experience? Why are some people around the world protesting that there is too much tourism now?

Mike talked about all these issues and explored how the customer experience is integral to ensuring that customers enjoy their travel and also want to remain loyal to the hotel/airline/travel agency they are using...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeortegon/

https://www.yoummday.com/

SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the evolving travel industry with Mike Ortegon, a customer solutions director at Yoummday. They explore the impact of anti-tourism protests, the rise of multi-generational travel, and the shift from reactive to proactive customer service. Ortegon highlights the importance of automation, local experiences, and inclusivity, noting that 50% of travelers now take more than one trip annually. He also emphasizes the need for travel companies to balance technology with human touch, especially for Gen Z, and to address accessibility challenges for travelers with mobility issues. The conversation underscores the industry's focus on enhancing customer experiences and adapting to changing travel behaviors.

Jon Florence is the SVP of Industry Solutions at Xima Software. He is based in South Jordan, Utah.

Xima is a contact center software company that is focused on AI solutions.

Peter Ryan called Jon to discuss AI in CX. Beyond the hype, how can companies managing their own CX and BPOs all benefit from the use of AI in the contact center? What are the genuine and practical use cases that move the dial and which claims are just hype?

What can you really do with AI today?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-florence-67019a79/

https://ximasoftware.com/

SUMMARY:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan introduce Jon Florence, SVP of Industry Solutions at Xima Software. Jon explains his role in integrating AI into customer experience solutions. They delve into the hype cycle of AI, comparing it to the VoIP boom, and emphasize the importance of understanding business needs before implementing AI. Jon advises starting with simple AI tools like speech analytics and messaging bots, and stresses the need for certified integrations. He also highlights the importance of testing AI capabilities and ensuring long-term vendor stability to avoid future consolidation issues.

Thomas Oronti is the CEO at Advensus. He is based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The CX Files has explored many different nearshore options in the Caribbean region, but has never explored the Dominican Republic before and yet this location has the advantage of being able to easily offer customer support in English, Spanish, and French - thanks to Haiti also sharing the island of Hispaniola.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wgpE2LoSLp9tu6TX6

Peter Ryan talked to Thomas about the growing importance of the DR in the nearshore CX and BPO sector and how Advensus strongly focuses on the role of the agent in any CX strategy.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-oronti-67777a12/

https://advensus.com/

SUMMARY:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the Dominican Republic's growing importance in the BPO and CX sectors. Thomas Oronti, CEO of Advensus, highlights the DR's unique trilingual labor pool, strong English proficiency, and robust connectivity. Advensus has grown from 100 to over 5,500 seats in 19 years, offering services like translation, collections, and customer service. The DR's stability, political reliability, and cost-effectiveness make it a premier nearshore destination. Oronti emphasizes the need for better English training programs and the potential for servicing Spanish, French, and English markets. The DR's success is attributed to its flexible workforce and strategic location.