ACP: The Amazon Connect Podcast

Hosted by CloudInteract - cloudinteract.io

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

This is The Amazon Connect Podcast - the show that focuses on Amazon Connect and related technologies. Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io . On ACP our experts meet once every 2 weeks to discuss the latest news and deep dive into topics such as CRM integration, AI, Scheduling & Forecasting, Training & Development and lots more. If you're a contact centre supervisor, a service owner, and IT Admin or an AWS Developer there's something for you here. Increase your knowledge and understanding of Amazon's popular customer service application. We'd love to answer your Amazon Connect questions on the show so if you have something you'd like our experts to discuss email us at podcast@cloudinteract.io. ACP: The Amazon Connect Podcast is created and produced by CloudInteract and is not affiliated in any way with Amazon Connect.

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36 recent

June 2, 202623 min

36: Forecasting, Capacity Planning & Scheduling

Send us Fan MailAmazon Connect Forecasting, Capacity Planning & Scheduling (FCS) Explained — Native WFM, Agent Self-Service, Data Lake & NotificationsTom Morgan and Alex Baker welcome Pavan Dusanapudi, a senior architect on the Amazon Connect team, to discuss Amazon Connect Forecasting, Capacity Planning, and Scheduling (FCS) and how it compares to workforce management. Pavan explains how FCS uses historical contact data and ML/AI to forecast volumes, plan staffing, and optimize schedules, emphasizing native, one-click enablement versus lengthy third-party WFM integrations. They cover agent-focused capabilities in Amazon Connect workspaces such as schedule viewing, overtime offers, time-off requests, and shift exchanges, plus a new schedule/activity notification feature using the Connect rules engine with email, tasks, and EventBridge destinations. The episode also highlights Amazon Connect Data Lake access for FCS data and use cases like adherence, payroll reporting, shift rotation equity, and scheduling metrics, and recommends piloting FCS in one business unit with available funding options and a 90-day free trial.Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

May 19, 202627 min

35: TACUG

Send us Fan MailTom and Alex welcome John Ing, freelance Amazon Connect consultant and founder of the independent Amazon Connect user group, to discuss the group’s rapid growth over two years, its community-led agenda, and why smaller, Chatham House Rules-style events enable candid sharing and practical problem-solving.John compares Connect community dynamics across the UK, Australia, and the US, noting similar challenges but greater scale and regional “clusters” in America that may require multi-city events. He outlines the difficulty of funding events while preserving independence and keeping attendance free.The conversation also covers AWS’s recent Amazon Connect rebranding, speculation on broader strategy beyond contact centers, and where organizations are on agentic AI adoption—mostly experimentation and POCs, with production limited due to testing, observability, and risk concerns—before talking about the upcoming user group even in London on June 3 - register at tacug.org.Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

May 5, 2026Episode 3430 min

34: Acquisitions & Renames

Send us Fan MailIn an unplanned “emergency” episode of the Amazon Connect Podcast, host Tom Morgan, co-host Alex Baker, and AI agent co-host Aria recap AWS Summit London and discuss two major announcements that reshape how they talk about Amazon Connect: AWS’s acquisition of NLX and the “What’s Next with AWS” event in San Francisco.They note the increased visibility and buzz around Amazon Connect at the London summit, then unpack NLX as a low/no-code visual builder for conversational AI flows, including examples cited like United Airlines deploying on Connect faster than expected, plus questions about integrations, platform agnosticism, and whether AWS is acquiring talent.They then explain AWS redefining Amazon Connect as a four-product family—Amazon Connect Customer (the original platform), Health, Decisions, and Talent—framed around “humorphism,” and debate implications, bias risks in AI-led hiring, ecosystem impacts for partners, and the growing need for testing and governance of AI agents.Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

April 21, 202626 min

33: News and Events

Send us Fan MailTom Morgan and Alex Baker catch up on recent Amazon Connect and contact center updates, including a blog post on the EU AI Act requiring clear AI disclosure at first interaction and strong logging/auditing by August 2, with significant GDPR-scale penalties and shared-responsibility implications for AWS customers. They also discuss a LinkedIn video on voice models that argues data, prompts, guardrails, action execution, and testing matter more than voice choice, and discuss roadshows, the Amazon Connect User Group event in London on June 3, and AWS Summit London at ExCeL with multiple Amazon Connect sessions and demos.AI agent co-host Aria joins to discuss customer examples like Centrica’s reported 38% handle-time reduction and Richmond, Virginia moving 911 dispatch to Amazon Connect, plus Salesforce deprecating the CTI adapter in favour of Service Cloud Voice and new Connect coaching workflows tied to evaluations.Links:EU AI Act Article 50: What Contact Centre Owners Need to Know Before August | The thoughtstuff BlogVideo: Everyone wants to know what voice model to use for their AI Agent | LinkedInThe Independent User Group for Amazon ConnectAWS Summit London 202600:00 Welcome Back to ACP00:48 Episode Agenda Catch Up01:32 EU AI Act Deadline05:15 Compliance Shared Responsibility06:54 Voice Models Beyond Hype08:23 Roadshows and User Group10:18 AWS Summit London Preview14:57 Aria Joins News Roundup16:11 Richmond 911 on Connect18:38 Salesforce CTI Deprecation21:26 New Voices and Languages22:02 Coaching Workflows and Culture25:11 Wrap Up and SubscribeFind out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

April 7, 202625 min

32: We're Back... and AI Agents have changed everything

Send us Fan MailTom Morgan and co-host Alex Baker return to the Amazon Connect Podcast after a break since re:Invent, explaining that rapid developments in AI agents and increased client demand have driven their focus.They revisit Amazon Connect’s Unlimited AI pricing and argue it now makes more sense as AI features spread across the entire platform, reflecting a shift toward an “AI-first contact center,” bolstered by nearly 30 AI capabilities announced at re:Invent.They discuss Enterprise Connect news including Predictive Insights and Amazon’s view that call deflection is the wrong sole success metric, plus Amazon Connect Health as a vertical offering with built-in healthcare agent capabilities.They introduce ARIA, an AI co-host, to debate deflection vs. resolution, Klarna’s AI-first staffing reversal, and why processes, monitoring, transcript analysis, and human escalation paths are critical for successful AI-agent deployments.00:00 Welcome to ACP00:36 Why We Went Quiet01:24 Unlimited AI Pricing Shift02:53 AI First Connect Era04:32 Enterprise Connect Highlights05:36 Amazon Connect Health Focus07:58 Klarna Reality Check09:32 Meet ARIA AI Co Host11:01 Rethinking Deflection Metrics14:22 Designing Human Escalation17:02 Observability and Iteration18:54 Are AI Agents Ready22:33 ARIA Name and Takeaways23:52 Debrief and Wrap UpFind out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

December 4, 202532 min

31: AWS re:Invent 2025

Send us Fan MailAmazon Connect Feature Updates: re:Invent HighlightsIn this special episode of ACP during re:Invent Week, Tom and Alex dive into the latest announcements and features for Amazon Connect. From AI-powered automation to new agent tools, this episode covers some of the 29 new updates including native testing capabilities, email automation, chat workflows, MCP support, and real-time chat message streaming. Also, discover the highly-anticipated Nova Sonic LLM's integration for more natural voice interactions and enhanced agent assistance. Stay tuned for insights on predictive analytics, knowledge bases, and more.00:00 Introduction and Overview of re:Invent Week01:09 Amazon Connect's Major Announcements01:48 Deep Dive into New Features04:18 Testing and Simulation Capabilities07:15 Automated Email Responses and Chat Workflows10:00 Model Context Protocol and Real-time Chat Streaming14:53 Nova Sonic: The Game-Changing LLM for Voice20:17 AI-Powered Summaries and Predictive Insights24:57 Knowledge Bases and Third-Party Integrations30:59 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsFind out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

November 3, 2025Episode 3028 min

30: Mobile Connect

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Tom and Alex sit down with Ruben Opdenakker, Head of Product at Ideal Systems, to explore the mobile evolution of Amazon Connect — and how it's transforming the way organisations engage with customers.Traditionally known as a powerful cloud contact centre solution, Amazon Connect is now breaking free from the desk with Mobile Connect. Discover how mobile capabilities are enabling field sales teams, engineers, and other remote employees to connect with customers on the go, all through a dedicated mobile app.Whether you're in tech, CX or operations, this episode is packed with insights on making customer engagement smarter, faster, and truly mobile.Listen now and reimagine what’s possible with Amazon Connect, wherever your team works.Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

June 5, 202529 min

29: Proactive Engagement

Send us Fan MailJoin Tom and Alex in this episode of ACP as they discuss the latest in outbound campaigns and proactive engagement with Anjan Mukherjee, Head of Product for Amazon Connect. Discover the evolution of consumer communication preferences, the importance of personalized engagement, and how AI-driven solutions are transforming business outreach. Learn practical insights and examples on boosting customer loyalty, increasing sales, and improving customer satisfaction using Amazon Connect's powerful tools. Don't miss out on understanding the future of proactive customer engagement! Find out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

February 24, 2025Episode 2833 min

28: User Adoption

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Tom and Alex return refreshed and ready to dive into everything Amazon Connect. They provide a detailed update on the latest features and improvements in Amazon Connect from the past two months, including real-time dashboards, Lex bot integration, agent performance evaluations for email contacts, and outbound dialer enhancements. They also discuss the importance of user adoption, covering strategies for successfully implementing Amazon Connect in your contact center, training for different personas, staying updated with new features, and leveraging AI tools like Amazon Q. Whether you're a techie, a contact center supervisor, or an agent, this episode is packed with essential insights and tips to make the most out of Amazon Connect.Links discussed this episode:AWS Amazon Connect Online Workshops00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:56 Latest Amazon Connect Updates09:53 User Adoption: Importance and Strategies12:03 Training and Familiarization22:42 AI in Contact Centers32:05 Conclusion and Wrap-UpFind out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

January 20, 202531 min

27: Automation

Send us Fan MailJoin Tom and Alex in this episode as they delve into the world of automation in contact centers, focusing on Amazon Connect. They discuss the importance and benefits of automation both within and outside the scope of AI.From traditional IVR systems and chatbots to newer advancements in agent productivity, self-service, workflow automation, and quality monitoring, they cover a breadth of use cases. Tune in to learn how automation can enhance customer and agent experiences, reduce operational costs, and prepare your contact center for AI-driven solutions. Plus, get insights on recent Amazon Connect features and practical steps for conducting an automation audit.Alex's video on performance evaluation forms in Amazon Connect is available both on LinkedIn and YouTube here:LinkedIn: Automating Performance Evaluations in Amazon ConnectYouTube: Alex Explains Amazon Connect: Ways to automate your performance evaluations 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:44 Defining Automation in Contact Centers 02:45 Benefits of Automation 04:36 Historical Context and Evolution of Automation 06:32 Current Automation Technologies in Amazon Connect 08:22 Self-Service Automation 12:41 Agent Assistance and AI Integration 17:21 Workflow Automation and Post-Call Follow-Up 21:02 Automated Outbound Campaigns 23:49 Quality Monitoring and Evaluation 27:58 Conclusion and Future PlansFind out more about CloudInteract at cloudinteract.io.

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