Customer Service Innovators 2023: Meet the Leaders Transforming Contact Centers

At the start of 2022, many contact center leaders looked forward to a year focused less on pandemic-related challenges and more on their customers. Instead, the industry was met with one of their hardest years yet.

A post-Covid rebound in industries like travel, hospitality, and retail saw unpredictable customer demand skyrocket. Meanwhile, it was more difficult than ever to hire and retain customer service agents amid continued staffing, training, and retention challenges.

But despite these obstacles, many leaders saw opportunity. The 2023 Customer Service Innovators were selected for their commitment to their people and their customers. They found creative ways to drive value amid an uncertain economy, while using cutting edge technology to create better customer experiences while making their agents’ lives easier.

The evaluation of nominees came down to three main criteria:

• Inspiration: Do they inspire, lead from the frontlines and lift up their teams regardless of circumstances?
• Boldness: Are they going against the grain in otherwise traditional industries and challenging the status quo?
• Early adopters: Do these leaders identify and test new technologies and techniques to better their contact center?

Our annual list of customer service innovators is an unranked showcase of leaders from a variety of industries including retail, insurance, financial services, consulting, travel and more. Each person on this list demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.

Top 50 CX Innovators of 2023:

Eli Acosta

Northwell Health

Director of Revenue Cycle Management Contact Center

LinkedIn

Garima Agarwal

Williams Sonoma

VP Technology for Mobile, E-commerce, Stores & Innovation

LinkedIn

Paul Anderson

Globe Life

VP of Call Center Operations

LinkedIn

Anthony Bagio

Hawaiian Airlines

Senior Director, Customer Contacts

LinkedIn

Karen Basting

BART

Director of Customer Services

LinkedIn

Mike Bowman

ECSI

Senior Director, Operations

LinkedIn

Michelle Buckley

Southwest Airlines

Senior Director of Engagement, Customer Experience

LinkedIn

Colleen Castleman

Tivity Health

VP of Call Center Operations

LinkedIn

Jason Coats

Choice Hotels

Senior Director, Customer Care Strategy

LinkedIn

Eileen Collins

Trimet

Director of Accessible Transportation Programs

LinkedIn

Sophie Conti

Customer Service Lab

Founder & CEO

LinkedIn

Jason DaCosta

Alarm.com

VP, Customer Operations

LinkedIn

Damon Davis

AllyAlign

Director of Member & Provider Services

LinkedIn

Hannah Day

Paramount Hospitality Group

Director of Revenue Management & CRO Operations

LinkedIn

Heather DeSantiago

Life Storage

Director of Customer Care

LinkedIn

Tom Dietrich

Benefytt

Vice President, Contact Center Technology

LinkedIn

Kacey Felila Tolua

Senior Director, Channels and Self Service - CEC Technology, Product Services

Marriott International

LinkedIn

Mark Freeman

Rentokil Terminix

CCO

LinkedIn

Rana Ghosh

Spirit Airlines

Vice President, Omnichannel Commerce, Loyalty, and Guest Care

LinkedIn

Kevin Hall

Navy Federal Credit Union

VP Contact Center Operations

LinkedIn

Vanessa Hardy-Bowen

Spirit Airlines

Director of Guest Cate & Contact Centers

LinkedIn

Kirk Hartman

American Specialty Health

AVP of Support

LinkedIn

Nannalee Haywood

Automobile Club of Southern California

VP Automotive Services

LinkedIn

Jesse Horsley

JetBlue Airways

General Manager, Customer Experience

LinkedIn

Shep Hyken

Shepard Presentations, LLC

Chief Amazement Officer and Customer Service Speaker

LinkedIn

Dilhara Kaluarachchi

Public Storage

VP Customer Care

LinkedIn

Martin Lampman

British Columbia Lottery Corp

Director, Customer Support Operations

LinkedIn

Sara Martinez Volkmar

KAL Tire

Manager Services Centres

LinkedIn

Sheila McGee-Smith

President & Principal Analyst

McGee Smith Analytics

LinkedIn

Brien Mikell

Love's Travel Stops

Director of Customer Engagement and Contact Center Operations

LinkedIn

Mike Milburn

Pimly

Co-Founder

LinkedIn

Lorene Miller

Southern California Edison

VP Customer Service Operations

LinkedIn

Collin Moody

Alberta Motor Association

Chief Transformation Officer

LinkedIn

Maria Moore

Coastal Federal Credit Union

VP Operational Improvement Programs

LinkedIn

Veronica Moturi

Brinks Home

SVP Customer Experience

LinkedIn

Christy Oakland

Holland America

VP, Global Contact Center Operations

LinkedIn

Mark Oldani

OnProcess

COO

LinkedIn

John Parente

Stanley Steemer

Director, Contact Center

LinkedIn

Scott Phillips

Texas Health Resources

VP Virtual Care Center, Patient Access Services

LinkedIn

Sai Ramani

Sunrun

Principal Technical Product Manager

LinkedIn

Lisa Rivier

AAA - Mountain West Group

Director, Operations & Product Management

LinkedIn

Camille Rosales

Hippo Insurance

Vice President, Customer Support

LinkedIn

Joe Russo

AAA - The Auto Club Group

Assistant Vice President, Automotive Services

LinkedIn

Tim Tarantello

Rollins Orkin

Managing Director, Orkin Customer Contact Centers

LinkedIn

Stephenie Tiedens

Principal Financial Group

Head of Engagement Center Shared Services

LinkedIn

Ana Torres

American Airlines

Director, Transformation & Technology

LinkedIn

Vince Trotter

National Debt Relief

VP Client Success

LinkedIn

Daryl Unger

Medly

Vice President, Customer Experience

LinkedIn

Rachel Walker

United Airlines

Managing Director Innovation & Solutions for Customer Contact Centers

LinkedIn

Tanya Weigelt

CAA - Club Group

Director, Club Operations

LinkedIn

Terrian Williams-Hall

WMATA

Director, Office of MetroAccess Services

LinkedIn

Jill Accardo

Office Depot

Vice President Customer Service and Order Managment

LinkedIn