This week, our delightful hosts, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, dive headfirst into the digital swamp where customer service goes to die—the brave new world of AI systems that somehow manage to be both “revolutionary” and “spectacularly useless.” Jeffrey kicks things off with his favorite pastime: complaining about his bank. AI locks down his decades-old DBA account over a minor hiccup and the humans refused to do anything but repeat, like stereotypical parrots, “Open a new account.”

Customer service without thinking… how futuristic.

And of course, no one is monitoring any of this. Companies keep installing AI like it’s a magic wand, then shockingly forget to ask customers the obvious: “How badly did our bot piss you off today?” Meanwhile, executives keep making decisions with all the originality of Hollywood—copy, paste, reboot, and pretend it’s innovation.

Rona and Jeffrey point out that maybe, just maybe, leaders should dust off those Toyota and Deming principles and actually check whether the multimillion-dollar AI they bought is helping… or lighting their customer experience on fire.

By the end, we’ve got frogs, frustrated humans, clueless systems, and CEOs hoping no one notices the chaos. So, tune in to Episode 195, where Biz-Souls explores the heart, soul, and sheer absurdity of business in an AI world that still can’t transfer you to a human without an existential crisis.

And since you’re in town, check out some other Biz-Souls episodes:

• Episode 192 – Toyota Principles & the Deming Follow-Up http://biz-souls.com/episode192

• Episode 127 – Tickled About Piccles! A Unique Way of Connecting Communities

• http://biz-souls.com/episode127

• Episode 173 – Imagination and Its Importance to Business http://biz-souls.com/episode173

• Episode 178 – Mature Gnome with Ego: Building Humor into Tough Business Moments http://biz-souls.com/episode178

• Episode 184 – Proactive Communication for Positive Results http://biz-souls.com/episode184

• Episode 190 – Deming’s 14 Principles (Part 1) http://biz-souls.com/episode190

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If you enjoyed this episode’s mix of sarcasm, storytelling, and AI-induced trauma, hit that subscribe button, leave a review, and share Biz-Souls with the humans in your life (the AI already knows where to find us). Every rating helps us reach more listeners who need a shot of Biz-Souls.

“...but it's WOMEN who are the source... the only power. Nature, birth, rebirth. Cliché? Cliché... sure... but true.” —Devilish Daryl Van Horne, The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

If that isn’t the perfect opener for an episode drowning—no, baptized—in clichés, then what is?

Our dubious duo, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, have decided to take a magnifying glass (and possibly a flamethrower) to the passive-aggressive email clichés that haunt every inbox like ghosts of middle-management past.

You know the ones:

• “Per my last email…” (Translation: CAN YOU READ?)

• “Just circling back…” (Translation: Why haven’t you done the thing I want?)

• “As we discussed…” (Translation: I’m about to gaslight you.)

• “Hope this finds you well!” (Translation: I don’t actually care how this finds you. I just want something.)

And because it’s Biz-Souls, the chaos doesn’t stop there. Rona again masterminds the torment. She suggests the topic. She creates the test. She grades Jeffrey. And Jeffrey, bless his interrupt-happy heart, tries to pass. Does he?

Miraculously, yes. With Rona’s incredibly generous, curve-destroying, participation-award-level B.

Recommended Biz-Souls Episodes:

Perfect for listeners who want to revisit the “classic era” of Biz-Souls—before Jeffrey apologized less and Rona rolled her eyes more.

• Episode 101 — “Leadership Schmleadership”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode101

• Episode 103 — “Trust Falls & Other Corporate Hazing Rituals”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode103

• Episode 107 — “Communication: Because Telepathy Still Isn’t Working”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode107

• Episode 111 — “Stop Using Buzzwords (Synergy Not Included)”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode111

• Episode 115 — “Do We Really Need Another Meeting?”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode115

• Episode 118 — “Feedback or Vague Insults?”

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode118

Once again, our hosts open the floor (and their inboxes) to you, dear listeners:

What mindless business clichés, expressions, corporate poet-speak, and office-approved arrogance have you endured?

Send them in. Share your cringe. Help the world heal, one recycled phrase at a time.

Because if we can’t stop clichés…At least we can mock them.

Our dutiful duo, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, have returned with yet another episode of Biz-Souls — and yes, they did deliver a podcast. Did they do enough research? Ehhh… let’s just say “research-ish.”

Today they bravely explore the mysterious, misunderstood, and occasionally mislabeled practice of white labeling. Mislabeled, get it? Okay, an inside joke.

Naturally, Trader Joe’s and Costco roll into the conversation like celebrity guests. Why? Because those are the only places Jeffrey shops. Is he a creature of habit? A minimalist? A retail monk? Or is he simply like every other adrenaline-pumped shopper who treats Costco like a competitive sport?

Let’s be honest — when Jeffrey shops, samples become a strategy, not a snack.

Back to white labeling.

This episode is Rona’s brainchild — because of course she's always hunting for a bargain that still lets her feel fancy. But do our hosts actually know the behind-the-scenes secrets of the white-labeling world? Or are they merely… speculating with confidence?

(We’ll let you guess.)

This is where you, our brilliant, resourceful, significantly-more-informed-than-Jeffrey listeners, come in.

If you actually know how white labeling works…

If you’ve been behind the curtain…

If you’ve slapped a brand name onto something that was definitely made somewhere else…

Tell them!

Please. For the love of all things private-labeled, help fill in the gaps.

Because the only thing more mysterious than white labeling…

…is why Jeffrey still hasn’t bought anything that isn’t bulk-sized.

Other Episodes you might find worth a listen:

• Episode 190 – Rich Batchelor & Culture Change

Because white labeling is basically “culture change, but for products.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode190

• Episode 191 – When the Going Gets Tough…

Featuring leadership wobbling, uncertainty, and more confident-sounding speculation — a perfect thematic cousin.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode191

• Episode 192 – Toyota’s 14 Principles (Jeffrey’s ADHD Edition)

You just KNOW white labeling would’ve shown up as Principle #15 if Toyota thought of it.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode192

• Episode 176 – Judge Daren Margolin on Positive Leadership

Because leaders everywhere slap their “brand” on things — sometimes successfully.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode176

• Episode 177 – Margie Zable Fisher on PR Magic

Perfect for understanding why white labels need shiny stories.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode177

• Episode 180 – Besting AI With Soul

Because AI could probably explain white labeling better than Jeffrey. But should it?

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode180

• Episode 139 – Play for Better Living with Laura Haver

White labeling is basically playtime for grown-up companies — so this one fits.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode139

• Episode 128 – Tobias Kennedy on HR Innovations

If HR can get innovative, your product labels can too.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode128

• Episode 125 – Kelley Raleigh & Retraining Your Brain

A fantastic tie-in, especially for anyone trying to mentally process what white labeling really is.

http://www.biz-souls.com/episode125