In Episode 267 of The CXChronicles Podcast, host Adrian Brady-Cesana sits down with Michele Shane, SVP of Business Development at Ujet, to talk about the often-overlooked human side of customer experience and business growth. From the early days of a startup to leading a team at a modern CCaaS company, Michele's journey highlights a core truth: success is about passion, people and a clear vision.
An unconventional path to a CX career
Michele's career in the contact center space started "completely by accident", but her love for the field is what made her stay. Starting at a small contact center startup before they were "cool", she learned the value of wearing many hats and rolling up her sleeves. That hands-on experience taught her that startups need a special kind of person: someone who isn't afraid to fail fast and embrace the hustle.
People and vision over technology
Ujet is a technology company, but Michele is clear that successful partnerships aren't about the tech itself. As she puts it, "Technology, in and of itself, has never been the thing that made a partnership meh, or not work, or not worth it." Success comes from finding organizations and people who are just as hungry and excited as you are.
The same applies to the customer journey. Many clients, Michele notes, get caught up in the "what" ("we need a virtual agent") without understanding the "why". Ujet helps customers define their vision of success first, because, as she says, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast
For leaders looking to scale, Michele's advice is: "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." Taking action matters, but so does being thorough and going deep once you're there. That means building repeatable, scalable processes and playbooks. By not cutting corners and smoothing out the rocky road early, you make sure your team and your technology perform when you need them most.
The importance of continuous feedback
To stay ahead, Ujet actively seeks feedback from customers and partners:
- Customer advisory boards: quarterly sessions for candid feedback on everything from product features and pricing to implementation.
- Data from conversations: Ujet aggregates support tickets and recorded conversations to understand sentiment and spot common themes, giving them a pulse on the market that shapes their go-to-market strategy.
That commitment to listening led Ujet to develop a new pricing approach and a customer rewards program to co-invest with clients in major AI projects.
Three takeaways for CX leaders
- Define your vision. Before taking action, be clear on your end goal.
- Act, but be thorough. Don't be afraid to take the first step, but build a solid, repeatable process.
- Prioritize people. Build a team and a network of partners who are as passionate and hungry as you are.
The CXChronicles Podcast is dedicated to the human side of customer experience, and stories like Michele's help business leaders build remarkable companies. Listen to the full episode on Spotify, or explore more episodes on the podcast page.
Frequently asked questions
What does "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" mean in business?
Taking the time to build thorough, repeatable processes early lets you scale faster and more reliably later, because you're not constantly fixing shortcuts.
How do customer advisory boards help CX?
They give you regular, candid feedback from customers on your product, pricing and processes, so you can prioritize changes based on what customers actually need.
Want help putting this into practice?
A 30-minute conversation, no obligation. We'll tell you where we'd start.