Inside KeyBank's Approach to Customer Experience and AI

In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, David Kinzelman, Chief Customer Officer at United Airlines—the world's largest airline, known for its extensive international network, operational scale, and continued investment in digital innovation and customer experience—shares how the company scales CX through operations. At United, CX isn't a layer on top of the business—it's built into how the system runs. From putting the customer at the center of operational metrics to continuously eliminating friction across the journey, decisions are made with customer impact in mind. David shares how United: 👉 Measures performance through a customer lens—not just efficiency 👉 Uses tools like Agent on Demand to scale support during disruptions 👉 Enables real-time access to options and information 👉 Leverages AI and digital tools to improve speed, clarity, and responsiveness 👉 Delivers more personalized experiences through connectivity and data But even with all the technology, one thing remains constant: 👉 It's the people—how they respond and deliver in the moment—that define the experience. If you're leading CX, operations, or digital transformation, this episode breaks down what it actually takes to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences at scale. 🔗 Learn more: United Airlines: https://www.united.com/ David Kinzelman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kinzelman/   Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

At CVS Health, AI is helping teams better understand and engage consumers—through stronger data and analytics. In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Josh Weiner, Senior Vice President of Consumer Engagement & Analytics at CVS Health, breaks down what it actually takes to make AI work in healthcare. From predicting customer intent in the contact center to enabling more personalized and connected care, this conversation explores how AI is being applied in real-world environments. The key takeaway: AI creates value when it's applied across the full customer journey—not just as a point solution. Listen to the full episode to learn how leading organizations are using AI, data, and analytics to improve customer experience in healthcare. Connect with Josh Weiner: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshweiner2/ Learn more about CVS Health: https://www.cvshealth.com   Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

AI can handle millions of customer conversations—but only when the right data, workflows, and systems are in place. Most companies underestimate what it actually takes to make that work. In this episode, Nalin Gupta, Founder & CEO, Cignara breaks down why AI in customer support isn't plug-and-play—and what's required to make it accurate and reliable at scale. We get into the foundation behind it: how organizations structure data, define workflows, and use continuous feedback to improve performance over time. If you're thinking about AI in customer support, this is a more grounded look at what actually works in enterprise environments. 🎧 Listen to the full episode now! Learn more about Cignara at https://cignara.com/   Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

AI is often deployed to improve efficiency—but its impact depends on how work is structured and delivered. In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Dean Kontul, EVP and CIO of Intelligent Automation, Contact Center, and Investment Operations at KeyBank, shares how one of the largest U.S. financial services companies is applying AI to improve customer experience. At KeyBank, AI sits alongside a strong focus on service culture, shaping how customer experience is delivered. The approach starts with integration—bringing together data, product, technology, and operations so customer behavior, product decisions, and service delivery can inform one another. 🎧 Watch the full episode to learn how AI can be applied as an enabler—not just a tool—and what it takes to translate it into real operational impact.  Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

Customer experience is shifting from memorable interactions to driving customer outcomes. That's the shift behind the Transformation Economy, and it's changing how companies create value for customers. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Joseph Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy and author of the new book The Transformation Economy, explores the next evolution of customer value—from experiences to transformation. 🎧 Listen to the full episode to explore the shift from experiences to outcomes. Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

At Vanguard, every investment is centered on client needs—but delivering that consistently at scale takes more than intent. In this week's episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Matt Brancato shares how alignment across teams, disciplined listening, and AI-supported frontline decisions come together to create a more unified client experience. Trust isn't built through strategy—it's built through consistent execution. If you're working to deliver customer experience at scale while maintaining trust, this one is worth your time. 🎧 Listen to the full episode and follow The Modern Customer Podcast for more CX insights. Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

At Bimbo Bakeries USA, customer experience comes down to one goal: making products available where and when shoppers want them. That means keeping shelves stocked across thousands of stores—every day. This week on The Modern Customer, Jeffrey Hendrix, Chief Customer Officer at Bimbo Bakeries USA, shares how the company uses its 12,000 delivery routes to keep products available at scale. Instead of relying solely on warehouses, Bimbo delivers directly to stores—restocking shelves, managing inventory, and responding to demand in real time. That's how they maintain availability across their retail network. 🎧 Tune in to the full conversation. Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

Contact centers have long been built on fragmented systems — CRM for customer data, separate platforms for calls and messaging, and AI layered on top. But that model is starting to change. In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, in partnership with Salesforce, Blake Morgan speaks with Gautam Vasudev, SVP of Agentforce Contact Center at Salesforce, about the rise of the agentic contact center — and how companies are beginning to unify AI agents, customer channels, and CRM data on one platform. #ad One key idea: when AI agents and human agents share the same context, customers no longer have to repeat their problem multiple times they're transferred. The conversation explores: Why contact centers have remained fragmented How AI and human agents can work together What shared customer context means for CX leaders This episode is sponsored by Salesforce. Learn more about Agentforce Contact Center.  Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

Service economics have long depended on headcount. Scale meant higher cost, and capacity constrained performance. AI changes that. This week on The Modern Customer, Matt Price, Founder & CEO of Crescendo, explains how AI expands capacity and connects service directly to business outcomes. Instead of charging per seat or hour, Crescendo ties pricing to measurable results. When teams treat service conversations as engagement opportunities, more than half involve buying intent — and repeat visits increase. In this episode, you'll learn how organizations: • Turn service interactions into buying moments • Increase repeat engagement and loyalty • Move beyond seat-based economics • Scale service without proportional headcount growth If you're thinking about how AI fits into your customer service strategy, this episode is for you. 👉 Watch the full episode and learn more at www.crescendo.ai This episode is sponsored by Crescendo. Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com 

New data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index reveals nearly a decade of stagnation, a narrowing gap between top and bottom performers, and rising loyalty. Together, these shifts point to one conclusion: customer experience is converging. In this week's episode of The Modern Customer, Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index, explains what this means for leaders heading into 2026. As AI accelerates and economic uncertainty persists, differentiation becomes harder to sustain and more critical to get right. If you're shaping your 2026 strategy, this conversation offers a clear, data-backed perspective on where competitive advantage is tightening — and where leaders should focus. 🎧 Listen to the full episode. Access the full ACSI report to evaluate what these trends mean for your competitive position: https://theacsi.org/news-and-resources/blog/2026/02/17/the-shrinking-distance-between-the-best-and-the-rest/ Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com