LA Fires Exposed a Harsh Customer Service Truth

02/26/25 • 46 min

Wildfires, floods, total loss — what happens when disaster strikes and people need help navigating the chaos?

Gavin Blair, COO of Bright Harbor and former CX leader at Lemonade, joins Lauren Wood to break down why disaster recovery is failing the empathy test — and what needs to change.
From the California wildfires to the broken insurance system, Gavin reveals how frontline teams can rebuild trust in the moments that matter most. This conversation covers why insurance is so difficult to navigate, how Bright Harbor is reshaping disaster recovery with AI and human connection, and the simple CX strategies that can turn devastation into a structured path forward.

If you think empathy and efficiency can’t coexist in high-stakes CX, think again.

Key Moments:

00:00: Who is Gavin Blair, COO of Bright Harbor?
02:17 Bright Harbor's Mission and Inception
04:08 Challenges in Insurance CX
06:18 Empathetic CX Through Disaster Recovery
11:08: Citizens’ Optimism & Resilience After LA Fires
14:51: Training Empathetic and Responsive Teams
23:05 Role of AI in Enhancing Empathy
33:51 Why Responsiveness is the Most Important Part of CX
41:43 Gavin’s Advice for CX Leaders Everywhere

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Are your teams facing growing demands? Join CX leaders transforming their AI strategy with Agentforce. Start achieving your ambitious goals. Visit salesforce.com/agentforce

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients.
Learn more at mission.org

Wildfires, floods, total loss — what happens when disaster strikes and people need help navigating the chaos?

If you think empathy and efficiency can’t coexist in high-stakes CX, think again.

Key Moments:

00:00: Who is Gavin Blair, COO of Bright Harbor?
02:17 Bright Harbor's Mission and Inception
04:08 Challenges in Insurance CX
06:18 Empathetic CX Through Disaster Recovery
11:08: Citizens’ Optimism & Resilience After LA Fires
14:51: Training Empathetic and Responsive Teams
23:05 Role of AI in Enhancing Empathy
33:51 Why Responsiveness is the Most Important Part of CX
41:43 Gavin’s Advice for CX Leaders Everywhere

–

Are your teams facing growing demands? Join CX leaders transforming their AI strategy with Agentforce. Start achieving your ambitious goals. Visit salesforce.com/agentforce

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients.
Learn more at mission.org

Previous Episode

This One Thing Will Generate 400% More Customer Data

You’re either building trust or breaking it — which one are you doing?

Customer experience isn’t just about service. It’s about trust. And most companies are getting it wrong.

In this episode, Lauren Wood sits down with Michael Maoz, Senior VP of Innovation Strategy at Salesforce, to reveal what really drives customer loyalty — and why most brands sabotage themselves without even realizing it.

The conversation dives into when technology enhances customer relationships versus when it erodes trust, the dangers of relying on flawed data, and why customers are willing to share 400% more information with brands they truly trust. With real-world examples and practical takeaways, this episode is a must-listen for leaders who want to transform customer experience from a transaction into a lasting relationship.
From brand-killing interactions to why AI won’t save you if your foundation is broken, this episode is a wake-up call for leaders who want to build authentic, lasting customer relationships.

Key Moments:

00:00 Who is Michael Maoz, SVP of Innovation Strategies at Salesforce?
01:52 AI in Action: Opportunities and Risks
05:09 The Role of Clean Data in AI Success
06:38 Practical AI Implementations and Pitfalls
19:07 Building Trust with AI
34:05 Simplifying Communication with Stakeholders
34:28 IQ vs EQ in Business Decisions
35:13 AI in B2B and B2C Contexts
37:14 Automating Customer Support in Banking
38:56 Emotional and Complex Interactions
41:07 Experimentation and Adoption of AI
45:08 Customer Journey Hacks and Channel Preferences
48:58 Voice-Driven Future and AI Integration
50:08 Impressive Customer Service Experience
53:34 Advice for Customer Experience Leaders

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Are your teams facing growing demands? Join CX leaders transforming their AI strategy with Agentforce. Start achieving your ambitious goals. Visit salesforce.com/agentforce

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients.
Learn more at mission.org

Next Episode

Why Some Brands Become Movements (and Others Don’t)

You know when a company brags about its “great culture,” but the employees look dead inside? That’s because culture isn’t what leaders say it is — it’s what customers feel.
In this episode, Mark Rampolla, founder of ZICO Coconut Water and managing partner at Ground Force Capital, tells us how culture quietly shapes every customer interaction. From Liquid Death’s branding genius to why “culture fit” hiring is a terrible idea, Mark breaks down what it really takes to build a company people actually want to engage with.

We also dive into the “need behind the need” (AKA why customers don’t buy what you’re selling but what it does for them). Mark shares how ZICO won over yoga studios by solving problems beyond hydration and why understanding where your customers make their money is the key to selling. If your culture, hiring, or customer experience feels off, this conversation holds the solution you’re looking for.

Key Moments:

00:00 Who is Mark Rampolla, founder of ZICO & managing partner at GroundForce Capital?

01:02 Building a Movement

02:13 Why Company Culture Matters

03:35 Culture in Action: Real-World Examples

08:27 Hiring a Culture Add & Customer Obsession

17:36 Assessing and Evolving Company Culture

24:42 Understanding the Need Behind the Need

25:06 Real-World Examples of Customer Empathy

26:17 Building Relationships with Yoga Studios

29:31 Marketing Strategies and ROI

31:34 Hypothesis Testing & the Opportunities in Operational Failure

38:17 Active Listening and Empathy in Business

41:24 Impressive Brand Experiences

43:18 Mark’s Key Advice for CX Leaders

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Are your teams facing growing demands? Join CX leaders transforming their AI strategy with Agentforce. Start achieving your ambitious goals. Visit salesforce.com/agentforce

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients.
Learn more at mission.org