Latest news with #Milagro
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Importance Of The Human Touch In Modern-Day Customer Support
Hamed Mazrouei, Founder and CEO Vivant and Milagro. Automated chatbots respond in milliseconds. Self-service portals are available 24/7. Sure, these tools may help with hold times, yet when a customer feels unheard, no algorithm or generative AI agent will be able to reverse frustration or even restore trust. As businesses scale and support strives to use automation to become increasingly efficient and always available, the challenge isn't how fast you respond—it's how human you remain. Let's face it, sometimes we just need to talk to a person. A report by Gartner predicts that "80% of customer service and support organizations will be applying generative AI technology in some form to improve agent productivity and customer experience (CX)" and this technology "will transform customer service and support by 2028." But is it really helping customers have a better experience? Maybe. According to customer service executives, the biggest customer service challenge they face is slow response times. In that link, Sprinklr shares an example of one company that reduced its average response time from six hours to just 70 minutes using AI automation. That's all fine and good as long as the responses are actually resolving the issues. Done correctly, you build customer loyalty and a reason for positive word-of-mouth. Not only that, it inspires repeat purchases—88% of the time, according to amplifAI. On the other hand, if the AI agent does not provide a resolution or is difficult to use, it will have damaging effects. Some of the reasons why customers become frustrated with automated customer support include: • Having to reword the issue multiple times so the AI agent understands it and provides a relevant solution • Not being directed to a human agent if the issue is not resolved, or worse, having to repeat the issue all over again; in other words, there is not a seamless transition or retention of conversation history across interactions • Not providing adequate self-service articles on information on the online portal • The issue remains unresolved after multiple attempts In short, customers expect their support experience to be as close to effortless as possible. The best AI agents can actually replicate the human's ability to gauge the mood or emotion of the customer, anticipate the need for escalation to a human agent and facilitate a seamless transition. Identify. In a chat or automated voice response system, it can tell if the customer is getting frustrated or is unhappy by reading cues such as all caps or exclamation points, asking for a live agent, looking for alternative channels, even abandoning the chat. If your self-service portal is advanced, sentiment cues can also be found there, such as a search that seems to be failing (multiple attempts to reword the issue) or, again, abandoning the search. Anticipate. A "smart" agent will recognize the need to escalate the customer to a live agent and proactively offer to do so. "You don't seem to be finding what you need." Or, "How about I get you to a live agent to further assist?" Escalate. This part is key. If the customer is already on edge from their failed bot experience, make sure your system allows for an expedited transition to a live agent. Nothing is worse than sending an already frustrated customer to a lengthy wait or another round of being on hold. And transfer the call, chat or search transcript with them so the live agent can pick up where the automated agent left off. Set the live human agent up for success. The best way to turn around an unhappy customer is to quickly resolve the issue and then exceed their expectations. But first, if it is an expedited situation, the human agent should address the reason for the escalation. "Looks like you already spent some time on our self-service portal. I'm sorry you didn't find what you needed. Let me help, and we'll get this resolved for you quickly." One of the biggest sources of frustration with automated tools is that if the customer can't get the help they need, they don't have a way to express themselves to a bot. Often, simply a friendly voice on the other end of the phone (or chat) is enough to diffuse the situation. One mistake companies make is not understanding the impact of AI on the customer journey. The companies that win aren't just leveraging technology to impact efficiencies; they're designing every interaction with empathy, intuitiveness and the unmistakable reassurance of a real human connection. Companies looking to apply AI to their customer service operation should keep their motivations in check. If it's to downsize their human support staff and save money, it can make sense as long as the remaining support agents are more efficient, relieved of mundane repetitive tasks and more available to help solve complex problems … or to simply talk to a person who wants to talk to a person! The key is to first focus on the customer in front of you and consider integrating AI technology to help employees provide the best possible experience, from one human to another. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sebastián Yatra is livin' on a prayer
For Sebastián Yatra, a miracle doesn't have to be a grandiose happenstance; it can be a child's smile, the perfect cup of tea or rain on a sunny day. "You find [miracles] in everything," said Yatra in a video call from his Miami home. These tiny, often overlooked moments sparked the concept behind the Colombian singer-songwriter's fourth studio album, "Milagro." Released on May 16, the project took three years to complete and marks a more introspective chapter in the pop romantic's life. "A lot of these songs are very emotional and they've helped me get through some of the different moments I've been through in these past years," said Yatra. The album's title reflects a new, more spiritual chapter of Yatra's life. He initially came into the spotlight with his 2016 breakthrough Latin-EDM hit "Traicionera" and the 2017 vallenato song "Robarte un Beso," which he recorded alongside fellow parcero Carlos Vives. All the names of his past albums also took on otherworldly elements, such as 2018's "Mantra," 2019's "Fantasía" and 2022's "Dharma." "Ever since I was a teen, I started having a really big connection with God," said Yatra. "When I say God, I mean this indescribable energy or person — whatever it is that brought us here." That theme is most evident in "Milagro's" soft gospel hymns like "Amen," which affirms the power of faith in moments of uncertainty and summarizes the very ethos of this project. "It's a cool way for me to explain how I see spiritually and the love and respect I have for people all around the world," said Yatra. Throughout the album, the crooner leans into his poetic lyricism, which shines brightest in twinkling love tracks like "Milagro" and "Segundo Amor." Also sprinkled throughout the record are buoyant Caribbean tracks, like the already popular merengue hit "Vagabundo," featuring Manuel Turizo and Beéle, and "2AM," his reggaeton collaboration with Bad Gyal that revamps Dido's 1999 song "Thank You." And, like many of Yatra's albums, there is also room for heartbreak. He unravels his desperation and jealousy in songs like "La Pelirroja" and "Disco Rayado." Yet that pain does not mean all hope for love is lost — "There's sadness in a lot of my music, [but also] a sadness with optimism," he said. Now 30 years old, Yatra finds himself at a peaceful center, profoundly taking in the world's beauty and its unpleasantries. "The small ups and downs of life are part of living life," he said. And how could he not appreciate the unexpected journey when it's led him to rewarding side quests? In 2021, his tender vocals backed the sentimental ballad "Dos Oruguitas," written by Lin-Manuel Miranda,for the animated musical feature film "Encanto." The song was performed and nominated for original song at the 94th Academy Awards, an experience that cemented his legacy in the childhoods of many. "The only way for me to understand [that experience] is when I think back to the 'Little Mermaid' songs or 'You've Got a Friend in Me,'" Yatra said. Last fall, he made his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn, the crafty lawyer in the long-running jazz musical "Chicago." The opportunity initially seemed out of reach for the Miami-raised kid, although he had the lead role of Troy Bolton in his middle school production of "High School Musical." " It was a pretty big jump from middle school plays to debuting as a lead on Broadway," Yatra said. "I want to do it again for sure." With a little bit of prayer, it seems Yatra is ready to take on whatever comes his way, "Sometimes I see [life] as a video game," he said. "It helps not to take myself so seriously." Get our Latinx Files newsletter for stories that capture the complexity of our communities. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Sebastián Yatra is livin' on a prayer
For Sebastián Yatra, a miracle doesn't have to be a grandiose happenstance; it can be a child's smile, the perfect cup of tea or rain on a sunny day. 'You find [miracles] in everything,' said Yatra in a video call from his Miami home. These tiny, often overlooked moments sparked the concept behind the Colombian singer-songwriter's fourth studio album, 'Milagro.' Released on May 16, the project took three years to complete and marks a more introspective chapter in the pop romantic's life. 'A lot of these songs are very emotional and they've helped me get through some of the different moments I've been through in these past years,' said Yatra. The album's title reflects a new, more spiritual chapter of Yatra's life. He initially came into the spotlight with his 2016 breakthrough Latin-EDM hit 'Traicionera' and the 2017 vallenato song 'Robarte un Beso,' which he recorded alongside fellow parcero Carlos Vives. All the names of his past albums also took on otherworldly elements, such as 2018's 'Mantra,' 2019's 'Fantasía' and 2022's 'Dharma.' 'Ever since I was a teen, I started having a really big connection with God,' said Yatra. 'When I say God, I mean this indescribable energy or person — whatever it is that brought us here.' That theme is most evident in 'Milagro's' soft gospel hymns like 'Amen,' which affirms the power of faith in moments of uncertainty and summarizes the very ethos of this project. 'It's a cool way for me to explain how I see spiritually and the love and respect I have for people all around the world,' said Yatra. Throughout the album, the crooner leans into his poetic lyricism, which shines brightest in twinkling love tracks like 'Milagro' and 'Segundo Amor.' Also sprinkled throughout the record are buoyant Caribbean tracks, like the already popular merengue hit 'Vagabundo,' featuring Manuel Turizo and Beéle, and '2AM,' his reggaeton collaboration with Bad Gyal that revamps Dido's 1999 song 'Thank You.' And, like many of Yatra's albums, there is also room for heartbreak. He unravels his desperation and jealousy in songs like 'La Pelirroja' and 'Disco Rayado.' Yet that pain does not mean all hope for love is lost — 'There's sadness in a lot of my music, [but also] a sadness with optimism,' he said. Now 30 years old, Yatra finds himself at a peaceful center, profoundly taking in the world's beauty and its unpleasantries. 'The small ups and downs of life are part of living life,' he said. And how could he not appreciate the unexpected journey when it's led him to rewarding side quests? In 2021, his tender vocals backed the sentimental ballad 'Dos Oruguitas,' written by Lin-Manuel Miranda,for the animated musical feature film 'Encanto.' The song was performed and nominated for original song at the 94th Academy Awards, an experience that cemented his legacy in the childhoods of many. 'The only way for me to understand [that experience] is when I think back to the 'Little Mermaid' songs or 'You've Got a Friend in Me,'' Yatra said. Last fall, he made his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn, the crafty lawyer in the long-running jazz musical 'Chicago.' The opportunity initially seemed out of reach for the Miami-raised kid, although he had the lead role of Troy Bolton in his middle school production of 'High School Musical.' ' It was a pretty big jump from middle school plays to debuting as a lead on Broadway,' Yatra said. 'I want to do it again for sure.' With a little bit of prayer, it seems Yatra is ready to take on whatever comes his way, 'Sometimes I see [life] as a video game,' he said. 'It helps not to take myself so seriously.'
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sebastián Yatra releases new album 'Milagro' inspired by life's small miracles
MEXICO CITY (AP) — For Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra, life is full of small miracles that come from dance, family and freedom. 'I saw happiness as a child as my long-term goal, one day to be happy, but I saw it as something very far away, and now I feel it in everything I do,' he said in a recent interview from Mexico City. 'What motivates me the most is to share that philosophy of life and that way of seeing things, and 'Milagro' is my way of expressing that perspective, that change of perspective that helps me to live everything from gratitude and love,' he said. 'Milagro' is his fourth album and comes three years after his previous production, 'Dharma.' 'All these albums and these songs have accompanied me in a moment of very big growth that is from 18 or 19 to 30, where you live a lot of things, and you really end up defining much more, I don't know if who you are, but at least who you want to be,' said the artist. The name of the album came about, in part, from a phrase in a recent book by his brother Andrés who is a novelist: Life denies miracles until one realizes that everything is a miracle. Yatra stressed that changing his perspective on the world made it easier for him to find more and more miracles, from giving a hug and receiving a call from his parents to having a coffee in the morning. 'So, when you see everything as a miracle, you start to be grateful for every little thing in the universe and you find its magic.' The album includes songs that Yatra has previously released such as 'Vagabundo' with Manuel Turizo and Beéle, 'Los domingos' and 'La pelirroja,' but it also has surprises such as a cover of Silvio Rodríguez's 'Óleo de mujer con sombrero' that Yatra performs with his father, Aníbal Obando Agudelo. 'I grew up listening to Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, (Joan Manuel) Serrat, but I didn't grow up listening to them in their voices, I grew up listening to them in my father's voice, because I had, and still have, a great artist at home,' he said. 'With the guitar he did a lot of magic, and he still does, and in all the gatherings he was the one who animated any party and you were hooked listening to him.' Yatra confessed that he even thought of composing something in the style of Rodríguez and Milanés to perhaps perform it with his father, 'but it is impossible to replicate that, there is no way.' The version of Rodríguez's song on the album was recorded at Yatra's family's farm in Medellín, Colombia. It is the last song on the album. In 'Templo de Piceas,' he is joined by Mexican artist Humbe, and in '2AM,' he performs with the Catalan artist Bad Gyal. The Grammy-and Latin Grammy winner hopes his songs will give others the courage to 'live love the way they want to live it.' If he could define the sound of his album, Yatra said it would be a heavenly experience, especially because of his track 'Amen' (as in love each other in Spanish) in which he seeks union and universal love. 'It is the lyric that I have done in my entire life, in my career, that most proposes something different and that most unites and resignifies the word amen (as in a prayer written in Spanish 'amén'),' he said. Yatra said he grew up in a Catholic family and usually goes to the Basilica when he visits Mexico. He said he was excited by the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Robert Prevost, the first American pope who spent many years serving in Peru. 'It's very exciting,' he said. 'It's something that comes from so many generations, that you feel like the emotion of years and years of people for whom that has meant a lot.' At the same time, he acknowledged the legacy of Pope Francis. 'I think he was a person who united a lot and was also not afraid to take away a little of the most closed rules of the Catholic religion, but he was open to the rest of the world to also accept all people for who they are, both people who have other spiritual visions, and people who live love from another place,' he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sebastián Yatra releases new album ‘Milagro' inspired by life's small miracles
MEXICO CITY (AP) — For Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra, life is full of small miracles that come from dance, family and freedom. 'I saw happiness as a child as my long-term goal, one day to be happy, but I saw it as something very far away, and now I feel it in everything I do,' he said in a recent interview from Mexico City. 'What motivates me the most is to share that philosophy of life and that way of seeing things, and 'Milagro' is my way of expressing that perspective, that change of perspective that helps me to live everything from gratitude and love,' he said. 'Milagro' is his fourth album and comes three years after his previous production, 'Dharma.' 'All these albums and these songs have accompanied me in a moment of very big growth that is from 18 or 19 to 30, where you live a lot of things, and you really end up defining much more, I don't know if who you are, but at least who you want to be,' said the artist. The name of the album came about, in part, from a phrase in a recent book by his brother Andrés who is a novelist: Life denies miracles until one realizes that everything is a miracle. Yatra stressed that changing his perspective on the world made it easier for him to find more and more miracles, from giving a hug and receiving a call from his parents to having a coffee in the morning. 'So, when you see everything as a miracle, you start to be grateful for every little thing in the universe and you find its magic.' The album includes songs that Yatra has previously released such as 'Vagabundo' with Manuel Turizo and Beéle, 'Los domingos' and 'La pelirroja,' but it also has surprises such as a cover of Silvio Rodríguez's 'Óleo de mujer con sombrero' that Yatra performs with his father, Aníbal Obando Agudelo. 'I grew up listening to Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, (Joan Manuel) Serrat, but I didn't grow up listening to them in their voices, I grew up listening to them in my father's voice, because I had, and still have, a great artist at home,' he said. 'With the guitar he did a lot of magic, and he still does, and in all the gatherings he was the one who animated any party and you were hooked listening to him.' Yatra confessed that he even thought of composing something in the style of Rodríguez and Milanés to perhaps perform it with his father, 'but it is impossible to replicate that, there is no way.' The version of Rodríguez's song on the album was recorded at Yatra's family's farm in Medellín, Colombia. It is the last song on the album. In 'Templo de Piceas,' he is joined by Mexican artist Humbe, and in '2AM,' he performs with the Catalan artist Bad Gyal. The Grammy-and Latin Grammy winner hopes his songs will give others the courage to 'live love the way they want to live it.' If he could define the sound of his album, Yatra said it would be a heavenly experience, especially because of his track 'Amen' (as in love each other in Spanish) in which he seeks union and universal love. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'It is the lyric that I have done in my entire life, in my career, that most proposes something different and that most unites and resignifies the word amen (as in a prayer written in Spanish 'amén'),' he said. Yatra said he grew up in a Catholic family and usually goes to the Basilica when he visits Mexico. He said he was excited by the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Robert Prevost, the first American pope who spent many years serving in Peru. 'It's very exciting,' he said. 'It's something that comes from so many generations, that you feel like the emotion of years and years of people for whom that has meant a lot.' At the same time, he acknowledged the legacy of Pope Francis. 'I think he was a person who united a lot and was also not afraid to take away a little of the most closed rules of the Catholic religion, but he was open to the rest of the world to also accept all people for who they are, both people who have other spiritual visions, and people who live love from another place,' he said.
