Skip to content
CX Spotlight is a series where we speak to customer experience leaders who are rethinking support, building “customer-first cultures”, and finding joy (and clarity) in what they do.
Every edition is a quick, candid conversation. No fluff, no jargon — just real-world insights from people who’ve been there, done that.
In Conversation With Craig Stoss
As the VP of Partnerships and Solutions at Kodif, Craig Stoss brings both technical depth and human instinct to the table, helping teams not just solve tickets, but deeply understand the people behind them.
In this edition, Craig shares how he teaches teams to listen for unspoken cues, why flexible support guidelines matter more than rigid policies, and the story of one customer who always started support tickets with: “I will call you shortly.”
Table of Contents
- In Conversation With Craig Stoss
- 💬 What would your support alter ego be called — and what would their superpower be?
- 🎯 How did you find your way into the world of customer experience? Was it intentional or accidental?
- 🧩 What’s the weirdest or most unexpected support request you’ve handled?
- 👂 What’s one practical change you’ve implemented to make your team more customer-centric?
- 🛠 What’s one tool or app you can’t live without at work?
- 🙌 One piece of advice you’d give someone entering the field of customer support?
- 🤖 A use case where AI actually improved CX for your team?
- 📬 Is email underrated or overrated as a support channel?
- 📚 A book, podcast, or show you’d recommend to other CX pros?
- 🙏 What emoji do you regularly use when interacting with customers?
- 👨🍳 If you weren’t working in CX, what would you be doing?
- Want us to send you awesome content?
💬 What would your support alter ego be called — and what would their superpower be?
“The Solutioner.” I’ve always tried to be creative when it comes to solving customer problems. I believe support teams perform better when they’re given guidelines instead of rigid policies. That flexibility lets agents take a more customized, customer-centric approach, and solve problems more thoroughly.
🎯 How did you find your way into the world of customer experience? Was it intentional or accidental?
A bit of both. I started exploring technology early on, but quickly realized I wasn’t meant to be a full-time developer. I loved coding, but I’m a social person. I needed more interaction than late-90s dev roles typically offered.
So I studied Software Engineering with a minor in Business. That blend showed me how software could drive better business outcomes and experiences. Over time, that led me to support, consulting, leadership, and eventually a deep focus on CX.
🧩 What’s the weirdest or most unexpected support request you’ve handled?
A customer named Winston. He used to email us a random screenshot of our software — no context — with the subject line: “I will call you shortly.”
That’s how every support ticket started. We actually turned it into a game: trying to guess what the issue was based on the cryptic screenshot before Winston called.
He was a great customer, but I’ll never forget his unique style of reaching out.
👂 What’s one practical change you’ve implemented to make your team more customer-centric?
Instilling a mindset that “everything is feedback.”
Too often, people treat customer feedback as something you only get through surveys or formal channels. But some of the most valuable insights come from everyday interactions — a sigh on a call, a pause in a conversation, a frustrated tweet.
I teach my teams to treat every customer touchpoint as a source of feedback. We use AI to detect sentiment and uncover patterns, but it starts with listening more intentionally — across emails, phone calls, chats, and social media.
Surveys are helpful, but they should be just one part of your feedback system, not the only one.
🛠 What’s one tool or app you can’t live without at work?
ChatGPT. I use it to do everything from writing complex SQL queries and generating sample datasets to restructuring CSS and crafting product demos. It’s become my go-to for cutting down time on manual tasks.
🙌 One piece of advice you’d give someone entering the field of customer support?
Understand your customer’s problems and not just their questions. It sounds simple, but too often support teams focus on giving fast answers instead of truly understanding the underlying issues. The more you know about your customer’s profile, goals, and what value they’re getting from your product, the more consultative and impactful your support becomes.
🤖 A use case where AI actually improved CX for your team?
We use AI prompts to quickly create highly personalized product demos. By analyzing a customer’s website, we generate a chatbot persona — including tone, design palette, and use case context — that mirrors their brand.
It makes our demos more relevant and impactful, without taking hours to prepare.
📬 Is email underrated or overrated as a support channel?
It’s a solid default, but not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Email is great for asynchronous support. Everyone uses it, and expectations are more relaxed compared to phone or live chat. But for urgent issues? It’s not ideal.
As one of my former leaders put it: “You wouldn’t email the fire department if your house was on fire.” That’s stuck with me. Email should be part of a larger CX strategy, not the entire strategy.
📚 A book, podcast, or show you’d recommend to other CX pros?
Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein.
It’s not a traditional CX book, but it’s packed with insights on using context to personalize experiences. I think it’s a must-read for anyone designing supportable, customer-centric systems.
🙏 What emoji do you regularly use when interacting with customers?
👨🍳 If you weren’t working in CX, what would you be doing?
A chef. I love experimenting with flavors, trying out new recipes, and learning different styles of cooking. It’s a creative outlet for me.
✨ Three Takeaways from Craig’s CX Playbook
- “Everything is feedback” isn’t a theory — it’s a mindset. Listen closely, even when customers aren’t explicitly giving feedback.
- Don’t default to policies, instead give agents the guidelines. Flexibility enables creativity and better outcomes.
- AI works best when it’s personal. Use it to create customized experiences, not just canned responses.
Enjoyed Craig’s take on customer experience? Follow him on LinkedIn or check out more stories in the CX Spotlight series.
Are you a CX leader with stories, lessons, or strong opinions to share? We’d love to feature you! Just answer a few quick questions to get started.
Want us to send you
awesome content?
Thanks for subscribing!
