Most banks collect customer feedback. Very few actually use it.

In this episode, I talk with Scott Lee Holloway, Head of Customer Experience at APS Bank, about what it looks like to actually turn customer insight into action.

We get into how his team gathers feedback across channels—and how that insight makes its way into real decisions across the business. We also talk about automation and where human support still matters most, especially in a trust-heavy industry like financial services.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to move from collecting feedback to actually using it, this conversation breaks it down.

You’ll hear about:

1. Why most customer feedback never turns into anything useful
2. What you’re missing if you’re only looking at dashboards
3. How customer insight actually reaches leadership
4. The tension between AI efficiency and human support
5. What breaks trust faster than most teams realize

Mentioned:

1. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottleeholloway
2. APS Bank: https://www.apsbank.com.mt

Interested In More?

1. Download the State of Social Care 2026 Report: https://bsquared.media/the-state-of-social-care-2026

AI is moving fast — but is your brand keeping up in a way that builds trust or quietly erodes it?

In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Martin — former NASA scientist, tech media strategist, iHeartRadio host, and host of CMOs Unscripted — to unpack one of the most pressing questions in business today: How do you use AI in customer-facing environments without sacrificing the trust you've worked so hard to build?

Lisa brings her signature blend of scientific rigor and journalistic clarity to the conversation, and she doesn't hold back.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why most AI initiatives fail to deliver ROI — and what leaders are getting wrong about use case selection
2. How AI is fundamentally changing the trust equation in public, customer-facing channels
3. What "human in the loop" oversight actually looks like in practice
4. The non-negotiable guardrails CMOs should insist on before scaling AI in social and digital channels
5. Why transparency and accountability aren't just compliance checkboxes — they're growth strategies
6. What some big brands are doing right (and why they're still the exception, not the rule)
7. The three metrics leaders should be measuring beyond cost savings and automation rates
8. How to push back internally when AI rollouts feel rushed

Connect with Lisa Martin:

1. X/Instagram: @LisaMartinMedia
2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamartinmedia/
3. Website: https://www.lisamartinmedia.com/
4. Podcast: CMOs Unscripted (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cmos-unscripted/id1817565884)

Interested in More?

1. Download The State of Social Care 2026 Report (https://bsquared.media/the-state-of-social-care-2026)
2. Rate & review the show: RateThisPodcast.com/SMCX

What would you do if someone started posting across your social media saying your company was a scam?

That’s exactly what happened to Katie Robbert, co-founder and CEO of Trust Insights. One day their notifications started blowing up with accusations that they were stealing money from a customer.

There was just one problem… she had the wrong company.

In this episode, part of our CX Under Pressure series, Katie shares how she handled the situation and why responding with empathy instead of defensiveness turned a potential reputation crisis into a trust-building moment.

Mentioned:

1. Trust Insights
2. Katie Robberts on LinkedIn
3. SparkToro study on AI visibility

Rate the Podcast:

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love your feedback. Leave us a quick rating or review at: ratethispodcast.com/smcx

As part of our March series, CX Under Pressure, we’re exploring what’s really shaping customer experience in 2026, from rising CAC to fragmented journeys and the human side of loyalty.

In this episode, I sit down with Tyler Stambaugh to unpack why acquisition is easy to test, but retention is personal. We talk about discount dependency, vanity metrics, and the uncomfortable truth that many brands are training customers to expect incentives instead of value.

In this episode:

👉Why retention feels “emotionally distressing” for founders

👉How discounting creates transactional behavior

👉The “Pavlov’s dog” trap in e-commerce

👉The 80/20 rule in customer revenue

If CX is under pressure right now, retention is where that pressure shows up first.

Mentioned:

1. Magnetiq
2. Tyler Stambaugh on LinkedIn

Customer experience feels more exposed right now. Budgets are tighter, AI is louder, and trust is thinner than ever.

And most organizations are still running systems built for what social media used to be, not what it’s become. In March, I’m launching a four-part series called CX Under Pressure. It’s where we’ll unpack what actually holds up when systems crack, listening fails, and automation starts replacing empathy.

Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

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Found this helpful? Leave at a review at ratethispodcast.com/smcx

Marketing metrics focus on output: content published, engagement generated, and response times. But customers don't come to social media to be engaged. They come to be helped.

When social care is measured with marketing metrics alone, teams optimize for volume and speed. A team that responds to 500 tweets in a day but leaves frustrated customers without real solutions creates churn.

In this episode, we break down the signals that help leaders understand whether social is influencing acquisition and retention—not just activity.

Mentioned in this Episode:

1. Download the 2026 State of Social Care Report

Leave a Review:

Enjoying the show? Leave a quick rating and help us reach more CX leaders: ratethispodcast.com/smcx

We need to talk about the silent risk happening on your social media team.

In this episode, I unpack the very real consequences of treating social care like social media marketing. You’ll find out why this structural misalignment creates burnout, buried risks, and missed opportunities.

I also share how we got here and why fixing this isn’t about your people or your tools, it’s about your setup. If your social team is being measured by engagement but handling service issues, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in This Episode:

1. The State of Social Care Report 2026

Leave a Review:

Enjoying the show? Leave a rating at ratethispodcast.com/smcx to help more leaders find their way to better social care.

This episode is one of my favorites. Because it’s real talk about what customers actually experience… not just what we think they do.

I sat down with the brilliant Jeannie Walters, CEO and Chief Experience Investigator at Experience Investigators, to talk about what’s really broken in most customer experience strategies—and what to do about it.

We got into:

1. Why most CX “strategies” aren’t actually strategic
2. The difference between process maps and journey maps
3. Who should really own customer experience (spoiler: it's complicated)
4. How tiny micro-moments either build or erode trust

CX is tested in real time, by real customers, in messy, unplanned moments. And social media is one of the first proving grounds.

Mentioned in This Episode:

1. Jeannie’s new book → Experience Is Everything
2. Download the 2026 State of Social Care Report
3. Jeannie’s company → Experience Investigators