Who to Follow on LinkedIn + a Few AI Takes

Rolling up the CS podcasts of the week for you - in 5 minutes or more.

Author

Jen Weaver
July 25, 2025

Rolling up the CS podcasts of the week for you - in 5 minutes or more. I watch on 2x, search transcripts, and listen while walking my dog to curate clips for support leaders.

Containing:

  • TL;DR: three quick wins

  • The Podcasts: summaries + links from this week's podcasts

  • ICYMI on LI: where to comment this week

  • And Now: meme of the week

🌟 TL;DR 🌟

If you only have a few minutes, check these out:

  • Mathew Patterson's short episode "Reframing AI chatbots as self-service tools." Spend 7.5 minutes (or on 1.5x, 5.5 minutes), it's worth it and may make you rethink your AI implementation.

  • If you haven't yet signed up for Mariena Quintanilla's AI course, what are you even doing? I'm excited about the unconventional structure (homework then class) and about seeing you there on next Wednesday, July 30!

  • Elyse Mankin, Head of Support at Attio, on my very own podcast. Minute 11:45: Staring at the mountain of work: Elyse's tips here really help me as I tend to freeze with overwhelm when staring at a lot of work.

🦸 This newsletter is brought to you by Supportman.io, which connects Intercom to Slack with AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

Live Chat — Jen Weaver

This is one of my favorite episodes (I feel like I always say that but it's true!) and it's on a topic I think about all the time: productivity. How to get things done without losing my mind.

  • Minute 11:45: Staring at the mountain of work: Elyse Mankin's tips here really help me as I tend to freeze with overwhelm when staring at a lot of work.

  • Minute 13:30: Quick book review of 4,000 Weeks.

  • Minute 7:50: Quarterly retros: why, how, and what for the stop, start, continue method.

Amazing Business Radio by •Shep Hyken

  • MInute 6:20: Me, too, Shep! I'm always shocked when anyone wants phone support instead of digital support, let alone 68% of people. 🤷♀️

  • Minute 12:00: AI agents are smart enough now to know when there's anger, frustration.. essentially they can hear emotion now. Maybe better than I can.

  • Minute 23:00: You must address privacy concerns when implementing AI - your customers' and your team's.

The Intuitive Customer Podcast by Colin Shaw

"How To Make AI Work in the Real World of CX" -- Andrew Traba discusses AI implementation in customer support.

  • Minute 14:30: Comparing the AI rush to the beginning of the internet.

  • Minute 17:30: Where to start AI? Start with a platform so you can scale quickly.

  • Minute 26:30: How AI is going to become like my mom: "I identified this problem you'll likely run into, would you like me to take action to prevent it?"

The Supportive Podcast by Mathew Patterson

🌟 "Reframing AI chatbots as self-service tool" -- This episode is super short, but don't be fooled. It's high-impact and I recommend the whole thing - this is a great way to think about implementing AI.

ICYMI on LI:

Some posts from the support creators this week that are worth stopping your scroll.

I'm shifting my focus here a little bit. I just started using an app that helps me strategically follow and comment on customer support voices. The idea is to boost my own visibility - and I want to pass some of that on to you.

So here are some posts you might like, but also go ahead and comment on them! They're targeted to help you grow, and any comment boosts your presence.

🦸 This newsletter is brought to you by Supportman.io, which connects Intercom to Slack with AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

And now..

See you next time,

Jen