Get Out of Wrap - Contact Centre Chat

This episode of Get Out of Wrap brings you an energy-filled, funny, honest and inspiring conversation with Cally Heads, a standout leader who has risen through the ranks of the contact centre world by staying completely, unapologetically herself.

We talk about what it really takes to thrive in sales today, why culture is the heartbeat of any operation, and how great leaders build teams where people laugh, grow and want to stay.

C...

The frontline has spoken — and the results are eye-opening.

In this episode, Martin is joined by Ed Creasey, VP of Solution Engineering at Calabrio, to break down the newly released Voice of the Agent 2025 research. Now in its second year, this study captures the real experiences, pressures, and motivations of over 540 contact centre agents across the UK and US. 

We explore:
• Why agent pride remains so high — and why that matters...

One of my favourite types of episodes, getting to speak directly with the people who make contact centres what they are.

In this episode, I sat down with a brilliant group of agents from SSCL Sopra Steria to hear what life is really like on the frontline — the highs, the challenges, and the moments that make it all worth it.

They share candid insights about:
💬 What makes a great team leader
💬 How they stay motivated and conne...

In this episode, Martin talks to Dan Schlenzig, who leads the CX Sales team at Cisco across 22 countries. Dan shares his journey from helpdesk beginnings to managing international teams and gives a fascinating insight into how Cisco is driving innovation in the AI and CX space.

🎙️ Topics covered:

• Dan’s career journey and leadership lessons

• Cisco’s transformation from on-premise to cloud CX

• The AI phone booth demo coming to the Con...

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, Martin talks with Sam Sanford — writer, performer and former contact centre worker — whose acclaimed interactive show I Love My Job (with an asterisk!) shines a spotlight on the fascinating, funny, and deeply human world of customer service.

Sam’s one-person play mixes comedy, theatre and audience interaction to explore what it really means to “communicate authentically” in a world of scripts, KPI...

At just 20 years old, Lewis Parkin is proving that age is no barrier to impact in the contact centre world.

Starting out at Alvaria in an entry-level role, Lewis quickly showed his initiative — creating training videos, planning events, helping with design projects, and even managing customer accounts across the UK and Ireland. His story is a brilliant example of curiosity, attitude, and the power of saying yes.

In this episode, host...

From knocking on doors in the rain to leading one of Glasgow’s most energetic sales operations, Garry Beattie has lived the full contact-centre journey.

In this episode, Garry shares:

• His early lessons in face-to-face sales and how they shaped his leadership style

• The role of support, recognition, and development in building strong teams

• Why outbound sales is still thriving when done with honesty and heart

• The “SAS mentality” that d...

A New Way to Lead: Danny Wareham on “Constellations” and Culture as the True Leader.

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, Martin Teasdale sits down with Danny Wareham, author of Constellations and founder of Firgun, to explore a revolutionary new way of looking at leadership.

After nearly two decades in corporate life, Danny took redundancy and embarked on a master’s-level journey into organisational psychology — a path that led t...

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, I sit down with Olly Hobson, co-founder of Cloudax, to hear how he’s making waves in the world of AI-powered voice technology — all before the age of 25.

Olly shares his journey from building websites during his GCSEs to co-founding Cloudax and developing some of the most human-like AI voice systems on the market today.

We dive into:
✅ How AI voice can transform the contact centre experience — r...

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, host Martin Teasdale speaks with Phil Jude, Senior Director at Alvaria, about how outbound has transformed into proactive customer contact — and why it’s becoming central to customer experience strategy.

Phil shares his journey from outbound agent to senior leadership, reflecting on the lessons learned along the way. Together, we explore:

• The evolution of outbound into proactive engagement.

• Usin...

Chris Rainsforth is back on Get Out of Wrap!

In this wide-ranging chat, Martin and Chris explore:

• The Forum’s Raising Standards conference and collaborative problem-solving

• Why their awards programme is focused on stories and shared learning

• The evolution of training – and whether roleplays still have value in 2025

• The challenge of Learning & Development keeping pace with technology and remote work

• The shift towards wellbeing, em...

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, Martin is joined by David Paulding, Global Sales & Growth expert at Nextiva.

David shares his career journey from the early days of contact centres in the 90s through to driving international growth today. Together, Martin and David explore:

• Why many organisations are still struggling with the same customer service challenges they faced decades ago.

• The role of AI in customer experience—its ...

In this episode, Martin kicks off September with an interactive live discussion packed with insight, humour, and community spirit.

We start by sharing what’s on everyone’s bucket list — from swimming with great white sharks to playing football on Copacabana Beach — before diving into today’s big industry question:

👉 Customers want quick resolutions and short wait times. So why is it still so hard for contact centres to deliver this?

...

In this episode of Get Out of Wrap, Martin sits down with Kevin McGachy, Head of AI Solutions at Sabio, to unpack one of the hottest topics in the industry right now – Agentic AI.

Kevin shares his journey from the contact centre floor to leading AI solutions, and explains in plain English the difference between conversational AI, generative AI, and agentic AI. We explore what’s actually happening in real-world deployments, where org...

In this heartfelt solo episode of Get Out of Wrap, host Martin Teasdale shares the full story behind The Team Leader Community™ , how it started, why it matters, and what makes it such a powerful space for contact centre team leaders.

Expect personal reflections, real talk about the highs and lows of becoming a team leader, and a deep dive into how the community now supports over 600 members from across the globe.

You'll hear: