Shows
On MessagingDanger Zone: Reducing Your Messaging to Fit Into TemplatesIn this episode, Devon O’Rourke, founder of Fluvio, shares why the push for ultra-simple messaging can actually hurt your credibility with technical buyers. We discuss:- Whether Gen AI is a strategic utility or a threat to deep thinking in product marketing- Why the trend of simplistic messaging is a danger zone for sophisticated tech products- Why it’s dangerous to solely rely on templates for product marketing activities- Why LinkedIn influencers could be guiding you down the wrong path- What makes a gre...
2026-01-0651 min
On MessagingHow to Position & Message Yourself for PMM Career Growth w/Yi Lin PeiIn this episode, product marketing career coach Yi Lin Pei shares her framework for self-positioning and career differentiation. Yi Lin breaks down the concrete steps to shift from a tactical executor to a strategic growth driver, how to evolve your personal messaging to command executive presence, and why the most important communication skill might be asking "why" before saying "yes".Key Takeaways- Position Yourself Like a Product: Apply PMM principles to your career. First, define your "destination" (where you want to go and who you want to be). Second, understand why your "target companies"...
2025-11-1845 min
On MessagingFrom Competitive Intel to Killer Messaging: How to Differentiate Your POV w/ Talya Heller | Down to a TListen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!Episode 14: Talya Heller, Owner of Down to a T joins me to break down how to weave competitive intelligence into messaging that actually differentiates.Talya runs a product marketing consultancy called Down to a T focused on creating a differentiated POV coupled with customer centered sales assets.Talya is a former engineer, turned product manager, turned product marketer. She came highly recommended for the show and was referred to as, “the competitive intel queen” (thanks Michele Nieberding!). I love it!I’ve already taken...
2025-09-111h 06
On MessagingStop Selling Features — Teach a Story Buyers Remember w/ Ryan Yackel | Databand.aiLike this episode? Clicking Like and Subscribe go further than you know. Thank you 💛On the show today, I have Ryan Yackel, Chief Marketing Officer at Databand.aiRyan is a former sales engineer, turned product marketer, turned chief marketing officer. Also, a children’s book author with an animated version available on Youtube.This was a phenomenal conversation. Ryan came prepared with props, in the trenches product marketing stories, frameworks for narrative design and book recommendations. Plus we had a lot of good laughs.//During our conversation, we discu...
2025-08-261h 05
On MessagingCreate Messaging Reps Use (And Customers Remember) w/Madeleine Work | Chili PiperLike this episode? Clicking Like and Subscribe go further than you know. Thank you 💛Episode 12: Madeleine Work, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Chili Piper (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleinework/) joins me (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/) to break down how to create messaging that reps actually use and customers remember.We talk about defining clear platform messaging, getting internal buy-in without watering it down, and why launches are never really one-and-done. We also dive into sales feedback loops, creative copy that still converts, and how Madeleine uses tools like Gong, Wynter, and Mutiny to...
2025-07-2942 min
Always On CX:EX22. The Brain Behind the Call: Call Automation, Teams Phone, and Intelligent Voice Agents with Sean Keegan (Microsoft)When your contact center is responsible for supporting reps, customers, and the technology that holds it all together, stability is essential. In this conversation, host Josh Chronister welcomes Sean Keegan from Microsoft to talk all things Azure Communication Services: from integrating communication methods like voice, video, chat, and SMS, to the powerful, low-latency audio streaming API that enables new real-time experiences. Hear how the platform lets organizations build programmable call flows, enable real-time transcription and translation, and use AI for smarter routing and sentiment analysis. The discussion highlights practical scenarios in healthcare, government, and beyond, always coming back to...
2025-06-1225 min
On MessagingFrom Single-product Messaging to Platform-level Narratives w/ Emily Pick | ClariLike this episode? Clicking Like and Subscribe go further than you know. Thank you 💛Episode 11: Emily Pick, Lead Product Marketing Manager at Clari (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilypick/) joins me (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/) to dive into platform messaging, tailoring narratives for different buyer personas, and how to create a unified message across multiple products. We also unpack the balance of feature-level messaging, brand consistency, and customer words.//💡 During our conversation, you’ll learn:Influencing the product roadmap as a product marketerWhy most B2B mess...
2025-06-1056 minAlways On CX:EX21. Teams Phone Extensibility and Unify—A New Era for Contact Center IntegrationBetween supporting your contact center reps, your customers, and the tech that keeps the contact center stable, the pressure to deliver an uninterrupted customer and employee experience is higher than ever. Host Josh Chronister is joined by Tom Arbuthnot and Gidi Adlersberg for an in-depth conversation focused on Microsoft Teams contact centers, Teams Phone extensibility, the Unify integration model, and how these pieces come together with Azure Communication Services. The discussion covers the significance of Microsoft’s new certification paths, how third-party solutions work alongside Teams, and why tight integration and reliability matter when it comes to delivering 99.999% uptime. Li...
2025-05-2931 min
On MessagingHow to Align Sales & Marketing Messaging w/Gaspard Pastural | PurpleOceansOn the show today, I have Gaspard Pastural, creator of PurpleOceans and a B2B SaaS Product Marketing Consultant. 🎧 During our conversation, you’ll learn:- Why go to market isn’t a one time event- How differentiate with relevance instead of features & pricing- Why B2B websites should be consumption first, then conversion- Sales and marketing messaging should be aligned but not identical//In our conversation, we cover:00:00 – Why most B2B w...
2025-05-2748 min
On Messaging7 Messaging Principles Every PMM Should Know w/Collin Mayjack | GoFundMeOn the show today, I have Collin Mayjack, Principle Product Marketing Manager at GoFundMe.Before joining GoFundMe, Collin worked in product marketing at Oncue and Dataro and is the creator of Holy Shift.//What you’ll learn:Why Collin believes clarity always beats cleverness in B2B messaging—and how to avoid “junk food” copywritingThe seven messaging principles Collin uses to drive alignment across product, marketing, and salesHow to translate complex products into human-first stories that resonate with buyers (and actually get repeated by sales)The...
2025-05-1349 min
On Messaging"How We Almost Botched Our Messaging..." w/Alex Eaton | UserEvidenceOn the show today, I have Alex Eaton, Director of Product Marketing at UserEvidence.Before joining UserEvidence, Alex worked in product marketing at Help Scout and Lessonly.What you’ll learn:1. The 3 traits that separate great product marketers from good ones—and why “execution” is the most underrated2. How Alex avoided a messaging disaster at UserEvidence—and the simple question that unlocked the right positioning3. Why most messaging gets overlooked inside companies—and how Alex ensures people actually use it4. A tactical breakdown of messaging docs that get read—why...
2025-04-2955 min
On MessagingHow to Get the Most From Every Customer Interview w/Shoshana Kordova | Peel Product MarketingOn the show today, I have Shoshana Kordova, creator of Peel Product Marketing.She truly defines what it means to be a curious product marketer and I think you’ll see what I mean throughout our conversation. This episode is for product marketers who…- Are coming from a writing or editing background and how that experience is a huge plus- You’re looking to run customer interviews that go beyond surface level- How to create messaging for very technical products- How to unde...
2025-04-1547 min
On MessagingAn Accidental Marketer's Approach to Messaging w/ Pete McCarthy | Open Road Integrated MediaOn the show today, we have Pete McCarthy, chief marketing officer at Open Road Integrated Media. Before joining Open Road, Pete led consumer insights at Ingram content group, co-founded a marketing saas, and led marketing at places like Penguin, and Random House.Pete’s been in marketing at start-ups, mid sized companies, large orgs, and as an agency owner.In our conversation he shares, 1. How messaging strategy varies across business sizes2. The method behind the right book, to the right reader, at the right time3. How customer rela...
2025-04-011h 16Always On CX:EX20. UNIVERSITY CONTACT CENTERS AT SCALE — Keith Honaker on Evolving Tech, Microsoft Teams & Managing Multiple DepartmentsIn this episode of Always on CX:EX, host Josh Chronister talks with Keith Honaker, voice engineer and lead contact center architect at the University of Central Florida (UCF). They explore how Keith’s team manages large-scale contact centers across multiple departments, the transition to new communication technologies like Microsoft Teams, and strategies for ensuring agents and supervisors are well-trained and empowered.=================================Best Moments:(01:21) Keith’s background and role at UCF(02:44) Evolution of contact centers and integration with Microsoft Teams(04:01) Handling multiple contact centers across different university departments(0...
2025-03-2737 min
On MessagingHow to Align Brand & Product Messaging w/ Jeff Chase | Vitally.ioListen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple.On the show today, we have Jeff Chase, Director of Brand and Product Marketing at Vitally.io. Before joining Vitally, Jeff worked in product marketing and community at places like Plume Design, Verkada, Eero and Amazon. Jeff’s been a two time founding product marketer at high-growth B2B SaaS start-ups. In our conversation he shares, * His process to creating positioning and messaging at high growth start ups * The crucial role of customer conversations to develop messaging * Gaining bu...
2025-03-181h 02Always On CX:EX19. The Growth of MultiCaaS: Brent Kelly on the Trend of UC and CCaaS IntegrationsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister interviews Brent Kelly, a principal analyst at Omdia, about the growing trend of MultiCaaS in the unified communications and contact center industry. Brent shares insights on the key drivers behind MultiCaaS solutions, market dynamics, pricing, and the future trends shaping this space.Best Moments:(00:00) Introduction to MultiCaaS and its definition(02:42) Key drivers behind the trend towards MultiCaaS solutions(05:50) Critical factors to evaluate when choosing a MultiCaaS vendor(10:48) Current market dynamics and competitive landscape in the MultiCaaS space
2025-03-1334 min
On MessagingConsistency & Storytelling in Messaging w/ Michele Nieberding | MetaRouterListen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!On the show today, we have Michele Nieberding, the Director of Product Marketing at MetaRouter. Before joining MetaRouter, Michele worked in product marketing Iterable, Qualtrics, and Cvent. Michele’s been named a two time Top 100 Product Marketing Leader by Product Marketing Alliance.Here are the key themes and ideas from my time with Michele:Defining the Difference Between Positioning and Messaging* Michelle emphasizes that messaging is what gets people excited to talk to you: "It's that fi...
2025-03-041h 03Always On CX:EX18. Clarity in the CCaaS Jungle: 5 Steps to an Informed CCaaS Buying DecisionIn this episode of Always on CX:EX host Josh Chronister speaks with Peter Broeckx and Gidi Adlersberg about navigating the Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) market and making informed decisions when selecting a CCaaS solution. They dive into crucial factors like uptime, implementation strategies, unified communications (UC) and CC consolidation, CRM integration approaches, AI in contact centers, and various pricing models.============================================================Best Moments:(00:00) Introduction and the importance of reliable customer experience(05:01) Why feature tables are insufficient for choosing CCaaS solutions(09:05) The significance of uptime and implementation in CC...
2025-02-2751 min
On MessagingHow to Run Message Testing Like a Seasoned Pro | On Messaging w/ Gab BujoldListen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!On the show today, we have Gab Bujold, messaging strategist and co-host of the We’re Not Marketers Podcast.Gab’s helped 30+ B2B SaaS worldwide nail their product messaging.Here are the key themes and ideas from my time with Gab:Messaging is a Long-Term, Iterative Process:* Messaging is not a "set and done" task, but rather a continuous initiative that needs to adapt to changing market conditions, competitors, and customer needs."Messaging to me is a long-term init...
2025-02-1857 minAlways On CX:EX17. From Telecom to TechCo: How Voiceflex is Shaping the Future of CXIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister speaks with James Arnold-Roberts, CEO of VoiceFlex, about the evolving landscape of customer experience and contact center technology. James shares insights on VoiceFlex's shift from a telecom company to a tech company, the impact of Microsoft Teams, and how AI is reshaping the future of customer interactions.Best Moments:(01:52) James' career journey in the telecom industry(08:38) VoiceFlex's shift from telco to tech co(15:28) Microsoft Teams' impact on customer interactions and collaboration(21:10) Trends in conversational AI for customer experience
2025-02-1339 min
On MessagingMessaging Clarity: How to Be Perfectly Understood by Your Audience | On Messaging w/ Zach MesslerListen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube!On the show today, we have Zach Messler, messaging consultant and educator.Before moving into being a consultant, Zach was heading product marketing at Appian. Zach’s been doing product marketing and messaging for over 20 years.Here’s what’s covered in our episode:01:17 The Evolution of Messaging in Product Marketing18:28 Understanding Audience Resonance and Feedback23:04 Distinguishing Between Messaging and Copy29:38 The Simplicity of Messaging30:56 Understanding Message Clarity32:06 Conciseness vs. Completeness in Messaging35:3...
2025-02-0453 minAlways On CX:EX16. The Key to Building Strong Customer RelationshipsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister welcomes Jeff Ward, Client Director at AudioCodes, to discuss the transformative power of relationships in customer experience (CX). They explore how trust, employee engagement, and relationship-building lead to superior customer service and share actionable strategies for rebuilding trust when things go wrong.=================================Best Moments:(00:38) Introduction of Jeff Ward and the episode's focus(01:30) Jeff's background and passion for relationship building(03:11) How great relationships lead to serving customers well(07:37) The connection between employee experience and customer experience
2025-01-3022 minAlways On CX:EX15. 5 Steps to Creating & Testing Custom Customer Service Call FlowsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister interviews John Wesselman, a contact center expert from AudioCodes, about the intricacies of designing and implementing effective call flows in contact centers. They explore the essential components, common mistakes, and best practices for creating seamless customer experiences.============================================================Best Moments:(00:54) Definition and components of a call flow(03:22) Coordination required for creating call flows(07:22) Five-step process for creating a call flow(10:56) Integrations essential for call flows(15:42) Testing call flows, especially with sensitive data(20:29) Common...
2025-01-1028 min
On MessagingWelcome to On MessagingHey everyone, welcome to On Messaging. I’m your host Josh Chronister.Creating product messaging that actually resonates with buyers is one of the most difficult tasks of being a product marketer.You get it.A lot goes into crafting quality messaging, but you’re still left wondering if it’s good enough to push ‘publish’, and share across the company.This is the show for product marketers to learn how to craft messaging that resonates emotionally with the buyer, builds credibility, differentiates from the competition and gets in front of your ideal...
2024-12-2400 min
Distribution FirstDistribution First Strategy Session [Coaching Call]Join Justin and go in on a behind-the-scenes coaching call with Josh Chronister, product marketer at AudioCodes. This episode is full of real talk as the pair chat through building a repeatable distribution strategy.If you like distribution and repurposing playbooks, you'll love my weekly newsletter (it's free). Join 2,500+ subscribers here: https://news.justinsimon.co/In this episode, you'll learn:How to leverage YouTube for distribution in 2025How to use content for sales enablementWhy LinkedIn newsletters might be an untapped channel*** WHEN YOU'RE READY♻️ Distribution First Newsletter🧭 Ge...
2024-11-1940 minAlways On CX:EX14. Practical AI Strategies for Microsoft TeamsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister welcomes Melanie Azagury from AudioCodes to discuss practical uses and strategies related to AI in customer experience and contact centers. They explore the adoption of AI, its applications in Microsoft Teams meetings, and its impact on customer interactions and agent experiences. The conversation also delves into the challenges of implementing AI and the importance of choosing the right tools and partners. The episode concludes with a fun discussion about gimmicky and practical uses of AI in everyday life.============================================================Best Moments:(01:57) Enterprise Connect...
2024-10-2447 min
Book Lounge by LibbyPages of Terror: Horror Reads for the 2024 Spooky SeasonOn this episode, we've got spooky stories for your nerves! Get ready for Halloween with these horror thrills! From classic slashers to supernatural creeps, Joe, Claire and Kristin have a recommendation for you!Titles mentioned in this episode:Claire’s Titles:
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
The White Guy Dies First edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson
Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Shout out to Graphic Novels: Loving, Ohio by Matthew Erman, The Low Low Woo...
2024-10-241h 00Always On CX:EX12. Successfully Integrating Microsoft Teams and Contact CenterIn this episode of AudioCodes' Podcast, host Josh Chronister discusses the integration of Microsoft Teams and contact centers with guests Irwin Lazar from Metrigy and Gidi Adlersberg from AudioCodes. They explore the convergence of unified communications (UC) and contact centers (CC), Microsoft's offerings in the customer experience market, and the role of AI in contact centers.============================================================Key Discussion Points:(00:00:35) UC and CC consolidation trends(00:04:13) Microsoft's Qs app and Dynamics 365 contact center(00:09:07) Features driving adoption of contact center capabilities in Teams(00:12:18) Evaluating competing Teams-certified contact centers(00:17:24...
2024-09-1921 minAlways On CX:EX11. Everything You Need to Know About an Azure-Native Teams Contact Center IntegrationIn this episode of Always on CXEX, host Josh Chronister is joined by Gidi Adlersberg, Director of Voca Conversational Interaction Center at AudioCodes. They discuss the relationship between Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams in the context of contact center integrations.===========================================================Best Moments:(01:11) Why Azure is crucial for modern contact center solutions and its impact on scalability(04:07) Insight into which business units can maximize efficiency with these integrations(10:00) Discussion on how Microsoft is positioning itself in the contact...
2024-09-0532 minAlways On CX:EX10. Integrating CX Capabilities Beyond the Contact Center: Sales TeamIn this episode, host Josh Chronister interviews Marie Vassilatos, Director of Contact Center Sales at AudioCodes, about integrating customer experience capabilities into sales departments.They discuss how improving CX for sales teams leads to better customer satisfaction and loyalty, share real-world examples & use cases, explore relevant metrics & KPIs to track, and talk about future CX trends in AI and conversational interactions.============================================================Best Moments:(02:39) How simplifying tools and platforms for sales agents improves both internal employee experience as well as external customer experience
2024-08-2239 minAlways On CX:EX8. How to Design User Experience with ALL Users in MindIn this episode, Josh Chronister joins Jon Zoltie to discuss designing great user experiences for contact center agents, supervisors, and customers. They cover topics like IVR design, agent and supervisor interfaces, omni-channel capabilities, and how enhancing internal experiences ultimately improves customer satisfaction.===========================================================Best Moments:(02:43) Importance of involving agents in IVR design since they best understand customer pain points(08:43) Key elements of good agent interfaces: simplicity and choice(13:30) Giving supervisors self-service capabilities to update things like hours and routing frees up IT staff for...
2024-07-1127 min
The ARC Party2024 Horror Preview Part 22024 is still here!I know I’ve been planning my reading for the year for a while now. How about you? Are you in need of some recommendations? I have just the thing! It’s MORE of The ARC Party’s Horror Preview!The reason this episode exists is because Emily Hughes aggregates a ton of information about forthcoming horror books every year, and posts a comprehensive, and frankly amazing list of them for everyone to use! You can find it here:Becky wanted to celebrate the launch of the list by diving into s...
2024-06-262h 00Always On CX:EX7. Unveiling the Architecture and Design of Modern Contact Centers on Microsoft TeamsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, Josh Chronister talks with Manoj Priyankara, Director of Solution Architecture at AudioCodes, about designing and architecting Microsoft Teams contact centers. They discuss the differences between Teams-based contact centers vs. standalone contact centers, scalability of a cloud solution, omnichannel customer interactions, and the role of AI in agent experience.===========================================================Best Moments:(01:48) Benefits of consolidating UCaaS and CCaaS onto Microsoft Teams(11:37) How a Teams contact center can quickly scale to handle peak periods of demand
2024-06-2038 minAlways On CX:EX6. Inside Look: How You Can Deliver Better CX with Microsoft TeamsIn this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister talks with Jasper Filon, a contact center expert at AudioCodes, about how logistics companies can improve customer experience with Microsoft Teams.They discuss the benefits of Teams as a cloud-based platform, integrating contact center features into Teams, using AI for automation, and best practices for implementation.============================================================Best Moments:(01:33) Benefits of Teams as a cloud platform — higher uptime, access from anywhere(07:30) How to improve customer and employee ex...
2024-06-0632 minAlways On CX:EX3. Why Consolidate Your UC & Contact CenterThere’s been a lot of talk in the market about UC and contact center consolidation. But is it just talk, or could this be a viable long-term strategy? The benefits can’t be denied – more knowledgeable agents, CX abilities for employees beyond the contact center, cost savings, etc.But sometimes these two communication platforms don’t fit like a glove. How do you know if consolidation is the right fit for your organization? In this month’s session of Always On CX:EX, Peter Broeckx (Regional Sales Dire...
2024-05-1630 minAlways On CX:EX2. Why Voice is Still the Leading Support ChannelThere’s been significant development in digital support channels like Chat and Email, but Voice remains the surefire channel for providing exceptional customer support. Leading with Voice requires the right mix of Conversational AI for handling mundane tasks and knowledgeable Agents for complex issues.But how do you know if you are using the right mix of Voice support to provide an unrivaled experience for all your callers?In this month’s session of Always On CX:EX, Brandon Smith and Josh Chronister discuss why voice is still the leading support channel and...
2024-05-1640 minAlways On CX:EX1. Where Teams Voice Ends and Contact Center BeginsMicrosoft Teams' growth as a collaboration tool has led organizations to use the platform as a base for improving customer experiences. However, the basic Teams Contact Center capabilities limit organizations in providing a high-level service experience for callers. Does this mean the only other option is a larger CCaaS vendor with many features that most of the market doesn’t need? In this month’s session of Always On CX:EX, Gidi Adlersberg (Director of Business Development) and Josh Chronister (Product Marketing Manager) discuss how to address where MS Teams Voice ends, and t...
2024-05-1632 min
JudgeCastJudgeCast #76 – Failure to CommunicateWe got so behind on e-mails we decided to dedicate an entire episode to them! Listen as we discuss bestow some more, talk tournament policy, CJ fails to pronounce anything correctly, and answer a whopping 24 e-mails from listeners around the world.
Links from the show:
Yawgatog Changes: http://yawgatog.com/resources/rules-changes/m14-ths/
MTGCast Announcement: http://mtgcast.com/the-new-face-of-mtgcast
Very special thanks to Josh Carr and Rob Chronister for the JudgeCast e-mail praise/song. You can find the song and the lyrics at the following link: https://judgecast.com/?attachment_id...
2013-10-041h 47