Kurt Hamm

Contact Center Strategy Advisor | Author of The Right Order | Founder, Aetheria Systems

Modernization Roadmaps · Maturity Frameworks · Amazon Connect · Salesforce Voice · AI & Automation

404.609.1991 | kurt@hamm.me | LinkedIn

I published a book about the thing I keep seeing break contact center modernization projects. Not the technology. The sequence. The Right Order is a practitioner framework for contact center directors, operations executives, and implementation partners who want to get the sequence right — and measure outcomes in cost-per-interaction economics, not vendor hype.

I help organizations define a clear vision for the future of their contact center and turn that vision into a practical modernization roadmap. My work begins with the north star: what the contact center should become, how the platform should support it, and what capabilities are needed across routing, self-service, agent experience, AI, analytics, CRM, and operations.

From there, I help leaders make disciplined decisions about what to implement, what to improve, what to defer, and how to sequence the work. The goal is not to chase features or follow vendor roadmaps blindly. The goal is to build contact center maturity in a way that is operationally realistic and financially defensible.

I do this work through Aetheria Systems

Aetheria Systems is my firm — a veteran-owned consultancy that helps organizations bring clarity to contact center modernization. I help leaders align platform decisions with business outcomes and prioritize investments based on value, effort, risk, and return.

Aetheria.Systems →

The Book

The Right Order book cover

Now Available

The Right Order

How to Modernize the Contact Center Without Wasting the Money

Most contact center modernization fails not because of bad technology or insufficient budget. It fails because organizations invest in the wrong capabilities at the wrong time.
Level 0 Hunt groups and manual routing. No queue visibility. No metrics.
Level 1 The foundation: ACD, skills-based routing, call recording, real-time dashboards. Everything else depends on this layer.
Level 2 Efficiency and deflection: IVR self-service, Agent Assist, workforce management, quality management.
Level 3 Digital channels: email, chat, SMS, intelligent virtual agents. Added correctly, on a stable foundation.
Level 4 AI-native operations: predictive analytics, proactive outreach, 100%-reviewed quality management. The destination, not the starting point.
Get the Book on Amazon →

Core Strengths

Amazon Connect & Salesforce SCV Mastery

Design and deploy production-grade Amazon Connect platforms integrated with Salesforce Service Cloud Voice. Build contact flows, CTI, screen pops, and omnichannel routing using Lex, Lambda, EventBridge, Kinesis, and DynamoDB. Make cloud contact centers and CRMs work as unified systems—not disconnected platforms agents fight against.

Fixing What Vendors Broke

Execute corrective action for failed CX implementations hemorrhaging money and credibility. Diagnose architectural failures, rebuild stakeholder trust, deliver working solutions when vendors walked away. Turn disaster recovery into long-term partnerships. Win business by fixing what others couldn't.

Production AI That Agents Use

Deploy GenAI that enhances agent performance instead of creating chaos. Real-time translation across 12+ languages. Interaction summarization that reduces after-call work. Intent classification that routes correctly. Knowledge retrieval integrated into workflow. AI that works in production—not demos that collapse under load.

Event-Driven Integration Architecture

Connect cloud platforms, legacy ACDs, case management systems, data warehouses, and authentication providers using event-driven patterns. Design integrations that survive production without constant maintenance. Eliminate swivel-chair workflows and manual data entry killing productivity. Make systems talk that vendors said couldn't connect.

Crisis Response at Scale

Deploy contact center platforms in 90 days that others say take 6 months. Scale operations from hundreds to thousands of agents under fire. Handle 4,000% volume surges without infrastructure collapse. Deliver when failure isn't an option and timelines are impossible. Execute under pressure when everything's breaking.

The Work

The Data Breach Recovery

What Was Broken

State revenue department. Massive data breach exposed millions of taxpayer records. Public trust shattered. National media firestorm. Legacy tax systems decades old and completely exposed. Federal investigation. Department credibility destroyed. Needed enterprise-class security and complete system replacement under congressional scrutiny.

The Fix
  • Led comprehensive data breach response and security hardening—restored public confidence under intense scrutiny
  • Implemented Fast Enterprises GenTax system—complete enterprise tax platform replacing decades-old vulnerable infrastructure
  • Directed IT operations, information security, and technology strategy—turned around department reputation
  • Established security frameworks and audit protocols that passed state and federal compliance reviews
  • Transformed department from security disaster to model government IT operation

The Pandemic Crisis Contact Center

What Was Broken

State unemployment agency during COVID. Infrastructure completely collapsed. Claims exploded from 2,000/week to 87,000/week. On-premises ACD failing under 4,000% surge. 1.2 million citizens couldn't get through. Billions in potential fraud. National media and congressional oversight. Complete operational disaster.

The Fix
  • Deployed Nice inContact cloud platform in 90 days—replaced 20-year legacy infrastructure while under fire
  • Scaled operations from 200 to 1,200+ agents without infrastructure collapse—maintained service levels during 4,000% surge
  • Procured and implemented ID.ME for identity verification—stopped fraud epidemic at pandemic scale
  • Deployed Salesforce CRM for case management across 1,200+ agents—tracked fraud resolution and claim processing
  • Implemented IVR modernization, digital self-service, and mobile app—reduced call demand 40% while handling crisis volume
  • System never went down again. Served citizens through worst unemployment crisis in state history.

The Failed Amazon Connect Migration

What Was Broken

Fortune 500 enterprise spent millions migrating to Amazon Connect. Vendor delivered unusable system. Agents hated it. Call routing failed. Integrations didn't work. Cloud CX platform disconnected from Salesforce, ServiceNow, legacy systems. Manual data entry everywhere. Swivel-chair workflows killing productivity. Leadership questioning entire cloud strategy.

The Fix
  • Built multi-modal voice bot using GenAI and NLP—deployed to production handling authentication, routing, and intent classification at scale
  • Designed event-driven architecture using Lambda, EventBridge, Kinesis, DynamoDB—connected Amazon Connect, Salesforce, ServiceNow, legacy systems, data warehouses
  • Built API orchestration and automation—eliminated batch processing delays and manual routing decisions
  • Implemented CloudFormation, CI/CD pipelines following AWS Well-Architected Framework
  • Led technical discovery for $5M+ program. Delivered working platform that replaced legacy infrastructure without downtime.

The Healthcare AI Platform

What Was Broken

Healthcare contact center serving diverse patient population. Patients couldn't communicate—needed real-time translation across 12 languages. Wait times killing satisfaction. Manual verification workflows wasting agent time. Vendors promised GenAI solutions—delivered systems so bad agents refused to use them. Summarization failed. Knowledge retrieval returned garbage. Intent detection worse than useless.

The Fix
  • Built serverless platform with Amazon Bedrock for real-time translation—12 languages, production-grade performance
  • Deployed intelligent routing using Lex—reduced wait times 40%
  • Automated authentication with Lambda and DynamoDB—eliminated 60% of agent verification calls
  • Built interaction summarization agents trust—reduces after-call work without missing critical details
  • Engineered intent classification that routes correctly—improves first-call resolution instead of creating chaos
  • Delivered knowledge retrieval that enhances agent performance—contextual, accurate, integrated into workflow
  • Complete AI platform supporting healthcare compliance, patient privacy, and complex regulatory requirements

The Public Sector AWS Rescue

What Was Broken

State agency signed $5M+ AWS contract. System integrator couldn't deliver. Six months in, nothing worked. State IT threatening to kill the entire cloud migration and return to legacy systems.

The Fix
  • Led ROI workshops converting failed requirements into working AWS architectures
  • Built end-to-end solutions: Amazon Connect + Lex + Lambda + Kinesis + Salesforce Service Cloud Voice + third-party WFM platforms
  • Authored winning RFP responses and TCO models for state IT and Medicaid bids—secured AWS MAP funding and joint-marketing credits
  • Delivered reference architectures and live demos in 48-hour cycles—shortened procurement timelines
  • Platform now handles 1M+ interactions/year. Saved cloud migration program from cancellation.

The Vendor Takeover

What Was Broken

National specialty pharmacy. Amazon Connect deployed but completely broken. Salesforce Service Cloud Voice integration failing. Legacy order systems not communicating. Orders failing. Calls misrouting to wrong departments. Zero automation. Their vendor couldn't fix it after months of trying.

The Fix
  • Rebuilt Salesforce Service Cloud Voice integration layer—fixed broken CTI and screen pops that vendor delivered
  • Reengineered Amazon Connect architecture—proper routing, contact flows that work, queue management that scales
  • Connected legacy order systems to cloud platform—orders flow correctly, data syncs in real-time
  • Delivered working automation the previous vendor promised but never built
  • Result: They fired their vendor. Made us their primary Amazon Connect and Salesforce partner.

The One I Couldn't Stop

What Was Broken

1998. Safety-Kleen replacing mainframe custom applications with PeopleSoft for HR, Financials, and Operations. As Infrastructure Director, I recommended leveraging existing Chicago data center mainframe resources and capacity. CIO and Application Development Manager overruled the recommendation—deployed RS/6000 IBM servers in remote lights-out configuration instead.

What Happened
  • Massively underestimated transaction volumes for financial operations
  • Accounts payable backed up—couldn't process vendor payments
  • Invoice matching failed—financial operations grinding to halt
  • Remote lights-out operation couldn't handle production load or troubleshooting needs
  • Infrastructure decisions compounded operational crisis during Laidlaw acquisition
  • Safety-Kleen filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 2000—$1.6B debt, failed merger, accounting irregularities
What I Learned
  • Being right doesn't matter if you don't fight for it
  • Speak up. Speak loudly. Trust yourself.
  • Bad infrastructure decisions don't just slow things down—they can sink companies
  • When you see disaster coming, you have a professional obligation to make noise

Education

MBA

University of Louisiana, Shreveport

Project Management Concentration

2021

B.S. Business Administration

University of South Carolina

Finance

1996

U.S. Army National Guard

Intelligence Analyst (E-6)

Desert Storm · Top Secret Clearance

1985–1995

Get In Touch

Let's Talk

Need to fix a failed CX implementation? Looking for an architect who's solved problems like yours? Let's discuss how I can help.

Phone: 404.609.1991
Email: kurt@hamm.me
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kurthamm