Today’s episode of the Punk CX podcast features a chat that I had with Miranda Collard, who is the CEO of the Americas at TP (formerly Teleperformance). Miranda and I talk about Miranda’s career journey from employee #27 to now being the CEO of the Americas, how she still takes customer calls, why the future of CX isn’t about bots versus humans, how this technological (r)evolution is changing the role that TP plays with their clients, the lessons that TP have learned about how to drive real results and RoI from working with more than half of the Forbes Top 100, how helping clients succeed is about equipping your people to lead with effective AI implementation that balances both emotional and artificial intelligence and how that focus on the human element is helping TP set themselves apart from their competitors.

This interview follows on from my recent interview – Some of the most innovative brands in the world are using AI to create a service dividend – Interview with Tom Eggemeier of Zendesk – and is number 560 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders who are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Here are the highlights of my chat with Miranda:

• At the time of recording, Miranda was 11 days into her new role as CEO of the Americas for TP and is excited about creating the next generation for the company and building her legacy.
• She still takes customer calls, as she believes it is a practice that helps leadership stay connected to the front line and customer experience.
• Miranda started as a frontline expert 32 years ago and emphasises the importance of staying grounded in their core mission and connecting with employees and customers.
• Adrian has a “radical idea” for everyone in an organisation to spend time on the phones or channels dealing with customer problems to foster understanding.
• Miranda agrees, highlighting that answers and information are often readily available from frontline employees, who possess a wealth of knowledge.
• She believes in harnessing “two AIs”: artificial intelligence and agent intelligence, recognizing the untapped potential of human “biological supercomputers.”
• The future of CX is not “bots versus human” but about equipping people with AI to lead with emotional intelligence, balancing both emotional and artificial intelligence.
• Highly emotional interactions will remain, requiring frontline experts to be equipped with the right technology to provide meaningful connections with empathy and compassion.
• TP has trained approximately 60,000 people in emotional intelligence to prepare for these complex interactions.
• The evolving complexity of customer queries necessitates closer partnerships with clients, moving from a service provider model to a more integrated relationship.
• TP has seen success in scaling AI initiatives, particularly in new hire training, significantly reducing the training period and introducing a more efficient process.
• One example of client success is an 11% improvement in reducing refunds and exchanges in fast fashion, which led to a 27% increase in revenue per order.
• Another success story involves a multinational food and beverage company where AI was used to proactively outreach to customers based on churn signals, leading to increased retention and business.
• TP adopts a “human-first” approach, backed by technology, which Miranda believes differentiates them in the market, focusing on supporting people, education, and tools to meet evolving market needs.
• Miranda’s best advice: You absolutely need to know what you’re trying to solve for. Get the problem statement right. Don’t just do technology and transformation as a check in the box. There has to be a real problem statement. And when you understand that, you can curate so much data, information, ideas, and innovation from all of those people around your business. And I guarantee if you’re looking for five answers, you’ll get three of them from that group of individuals.
• Miranda’s Punk CX brand:An unnamed very large global tech company, where, at the most recent meetings they had with very senior leaders across this organisation, they had an opportunity to participate in a speed-dating-like session. What happened was that there were 10 different sections and tables set up inside of this organisation with all of the business owners, all of what they were trying to sell for, and all what they were trying to do, and we had an opportunity to go and do a quick Q &A with each of them. It was sensational.

About Miranda

As CEO, Americas for TP, Miranda Collard leads strategy, operations, and client delivery across one of the company’s most critical regions, driving innovative, scalable solutions and long-term client partnerships. Previously serving as Global Chief Client Officer and President of the U.S. Geography, she has played a pivotal role in strengthening TP’s reputation as a trusted partner to many of the world’s leading brands.

With over 30 years of experience, Miranda is recognized for her expertise in developing integrated, multi-channel service solutions, building inclusive leadership cultures, and advancing initiatives that reflect TP’s values of innovation and excellence. A longtime advocate for equity and belonging, she founded TP Women in 2019, a global empowerment network supporting a culture of inclusion across TP’s 410,000+ employees in 95 countries.

Say Hi to TP on X (Twitter) and Instagram @Teleperfomance and @teleperformance_group, respectively, and connect with Miranda on LinkedIn here.

Credit: Photo by Stefano Bucciarelli on Unsplash