Join Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan, co-hosts of the CX Files podcast, for a special live networking event in London as they celebrate the show's 400th episode!

This informal evening brings together members of the global Customer Experience (CX) community for drinks, conversation, and connection.

Mark will be flying in from São Paulo, Brazil, and Peter from Montreal, Canada — a rare chance to meet both hosts in person. They will also have copies of the CX Files book - to be launched at this event in London.

During the event, Mark and Peter will record a short live segment for the 400th episode in front of the audience, marking this milestone moment in the CX Files journey.

Tickets are free, but you do need to register so we can control the numbers. Click this link to register your place for this live CX Files event.

https://cxfiles.eventbrite.com

In this special episode of the CX Files, we are looking to the end of 2025 and into 2026.

Peter Ryan called Paul Smith and David Rickard - two expert advisers on CX and BPO - to talk about what just happened in 2025 and their top predictions for CX in 2026.

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Paul Smith

Principal Consultant, Quinn Growth Advisers

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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

https://quinngrowthadvisors.com/

David Rickard

Partner, Everest Group

Clanfield - near Portsmouth, UK

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

https://www.everestgrp.com/

Summary:
In the CX Files podcast episode 399, hosts Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss 2025 highlights and 2026 predictions with Paul Smith from Quinn Growth Advisors and David Rickard from Everest Group. Key points include the significant AI hype in 2025, the lack of differentiation in the market, and the slow progress of AI in customer experience (CX). They predict that 2026 will see more AI pilots moving into production, increased competition from in-house GCC capabilities, and a need for better buyer-seller communication. They also emphasize the importance of understanding customer needs and the potential impact of an AI bubble.

Nick Jiwa is the founder and president of CustomerServ. He is based in Houston, Texas, USA.

In this episode Nick talks to Peter Ryan about the importance of people in CX - in particular in BPOs. He asks why people have always been central to the customer experience, but now it sounds like everyone is just focused on AI and automation?

It's time to refocus on people and culture because this is how brands connect with customers and this leads to the success they need - extra revenue, loyalty, retention etc...

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

https://www.customerserv.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/call-center-still-people-business-nick-jiwa-sn5lf/

Summary:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the importance of human interaction in customer experience (CX) with Nick Jiwa, founder of CustomerServ. Jiwa emphasizes that despite technological advancements, CX remains a people-centric industry. He criticizes large BPOs for prioritizing tech over people, noting that many have an identity crisis. Jiwa highlights the resilience of the call center industry, projecting its growth from $300 billion to $500 billion by 2030. He argues that AI will enhance, not replace, human roles, particularly in emotional and complex interactions. The conversation underscores the need for a refocus on people, culture, and leadership in CX.

Leigh Hopwood is CEO of the CCMA (Contact Centre Management Association) and Chair of the European Customer Contact Alliance. She is based in London, UK.

Peter Ryan called Leigh to talk about the European Contact Center and Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs), which celebrate their 25th anniversary on November 25th, 2025.

It sounds like an Iron Maiden song. On the 25th of November in the year 2025 the ECCCSAs will be 25...

Leigh talks about the judging process and the value of the awards to the growth of the wider industry in addition to talking about the logistics of arranging such a large event - the award ceremony itself features over 1,200 attendees from 44 different countries.

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

https://www.ccma.org.uk/

https://ecccsa.com/

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Summary:

Leigh Hopwood joins the pod to talk about the European Contact Center and Customer Service Awards, celebrating its 25th anniversary on November 25, 2025. The awards, which attract over 1,200 attendees from 44 countries, are judged by industry experts and feature rigorous criteria. Leigh emphasizes the importance of the judging process and the event's role in fostering industry growth and learning. The conversation also touches on the logistics of organizing such a large event and the significance of the awards in recognizing excellence in customer service.

Gerry Brown is known as the customer lifeguard. His ambition is to save the world from poor customer service.

Gerry is Canadian and based in the south of the UK.

Gerry has written a book titled 'When a customer wins, nobody loses.' He has a podcast and he is a regular speaker and adviser, regularly hosting CX workshops.

Mark called Gerry to ask about his book and the post-pandemic CX environment. In particular how can BPOs get more closely aligned with the needs of customers when AI is changing the entire industry?

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

https://thecustomerlifeguard.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Customer-Wins-Nobody-Loses-ebook/dp/B07BFC83MZ/

Summary :

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the evolving landscape of customer experience (CX) with guest Gerry Brown, an independent consultant and author of "When a Customer Wins, Nobody Loses." They explore the shift from traditional customer service to more complex, multi-channel environments, including the rise of AI and automation. Brown highlights the importance of aligning customer needs with BPO services, noting that many organizations still handle customer service in-house. He emphasizes the need for BPOs to offer comprehensive solutions and the growing use of AI for efficiency and cost savings. The conversation also touches on the impact of the pandemic on remote work and the ongoing challenge of integrating legacy systems.

Paul O'Hara is the Executive Vice President of Business Development at TP EMEA. He is based in the Tyneside area of North-East England.

Paul recently published an article on Customer Think magazine titled "AI Won't End BPO - It'll Supercharge It."

Mark called Paul to ask Paul about the article. What was Paul trying to say? How does he believe that AI and human-focused customer service can be blended? How can smarter more value-driven CX be planned using AI?

Paul outlined many of these ideas in his article, but Mark questioned him further on the reasons he felt the need to talk about AI in this way. Mark even mentioned this conversation with Paul in a SubStack article he published earlier this week.

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

https://customerthink.com/ai-wont-end-bpo-itll-supercharge-it/

https://www.tp.com/

https://markhillarysp.substack.com/p/ai-in-customer-service-isnt-about

Summary:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the impact of AI on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) with Paul O'Hara, EVP for Business Development at Teleperformance (TP). O'Hara argues that AI will enhance, rather than replace, BPO services. He emphasizes the importance of blending AI with human expertise to deliver smarter, scalable, and value-driven customer experiences. O'Hara highlights that BPOs, with their operational backbone and regulatory compliance, are better positioned to design and scale CX solutions. He predicts continued growth in the BPO industry, driven by automation and ethical outsourcing, and stresses the need for performance-based models over traditional metrics.

Elona Ymeri is the service delivery manager at Assist Digital. She is based in Tirana, Albania.

Elona spoke to Mark Hillary about the role of smaller BPO destinations. What can they offer that is harder to find from the big locations? Is the continued influence of AI and other automation technology reducing the need to consider working in locations where large numbers of agents can be found?

Elona talked about Albania within this context, but also explored beyond Albania alone to consider other locations in Europe that might have an interesting and innovative new approach to BPO.

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

https://assistdigital.com/

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Summary:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan introduce an interview with Elona Ymeri, the service delivery leader at Assist Digital in Tirana, Albania. Alona highlights Albania's mature BPO sector, employing nearly 30,000 people, and its strategic position as a nearshore option for European companies. She emphasizes Albania's cultural alignment, linguistic skills, and the country's investment in AI and digital transformation. Alona also discusses the shift towards intelligent operations, combining human talent with technology, and the importance of compliance and strategic partnerships in the future of BPO.