AI is everywhere in customer experience right now - automating support, replacing repetitive work, cutting costs and speeding up replies.

But according to Cati Brunell-Brutman, formerly CX Lead at Glossier, the real opportunity is bigger than automation.

It’s data.

Every support ticket, product review, social DM, NPS comment, complaint, and customer conversation is telling you something about your product, your brand, your operations, and your growth.

Most companies just aren’t using it properly.

In this episode of CX After Hours, hosts Guillaume Luccisano and Anya Kelly sit down with Cati to talk about how high-performing CX teams turn customer conversations into business impact.

Cati shares what she learned from building and leading CX teams at brands like Birchbox, Daily Harvest, The Wing, Headway, and Glossier, including how to get CX out of the “cost centre” box, how to use AI to analyse years of customer feedback, and how to turn raw customer data into stories leadership will actually listen to.

They also get into why unrealistic shipping expectations are hurting both brands and teams, how surprise and delight can build real customer trust, why retail teams are an underrated source of customer insight, and why Cati loves NPS but has very little patience for CSAT.

Chapters:

• 03:14 Meet Cati Brunell-Brutman
• 04:14 From theatre production to CX
• 04:53 Building CX at early-stage brands
• 06:43 Why CX is still treated like the kids’ table
• 07:00 CX as customer insight, not a cost centre
• 08:43 Speaking the language of each stakeholder
• 10:15 Why CX is a goldmine of data
• 10:38 The Vent
• 14:41 When CX should use surprise and delight
• 15:28 Turning a delayed order into a memorable moment
• 17:48 Shouting out great CX internally
• 18:36 Connecting exceptional CX to data
• 20:47 Getting feedback from retail teams
• 23:05 Reading NPS comments like a novel
• 27:30 How AI helps CX teams analyse feedback
• 28:39 Using AI to analyse five years of product reviews
• 31:01 Why CX is really storytelling
• 34:53 The 10% Fix
• 36:22 Leaning on the Sisterhood of the Traveling CX
• 39:37 Cati’s take on NPS vs CSAT
• 41:11 Efficiency metrics and social engagement
• 42:53 Why CX should own social replies
• 44:22 Collaborating with marketing on social responses
• 45:44 One takeaway for CX leaders
• 46:01 Create your community
• 47:14 How to follow Cati

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XQNd37H9dyg?si=TvF7E5hzG-nVgaYJ

Subscribe to the podcast via email on our website, and get new episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://yuma.ai/cx-after-hours

Follow the hosts

Guillaume Luccisano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaumeluccisano/

Anya Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anya-kelly/

Follow this episode’s guest, Cati Brunell-Brutman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cati-brunell-brutman-5355b04a/

Instagram: @catibrunell

CX After Hours is the podcast for CX leaders and operators in retail and ecommerce who are in the trenches scaling customer experience to drive real growth. Powered by Yuma AI, the show goes beyond polished talking points to explore the trade-offs, pressure, and decisions that shape whether customers come back, spend more, and stay loyal.

Learn more about Yuma AI: https://yuma.ai/