AI is not a cure all for customer service

AI is rapidly becoming entrenched in customer service operations, and its impact is reshaping the way contact centers function. Organisations are deploying AI to analyse customer interactions and uncover patterns that would have been impossible to identify manually at scale. The pressure to adopt these technologies is growing because the potential value is enormous. While …

Why the convergence of CRM and CCaaS is the new CX North Star

Historically, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform operated as two distinct silos. This separation created swivel-chair syndrome, where agents manually toggled between screens, leading to fragmented data and frustrated customers.  Audrey William,  Industry Analyst and founder of Crayon IQ,  comments, “The convergence of CCaaS and CRM really …

The rise of the customer service super agent

Something interesting is happening in the world of customer service. Faced with demand for ever-accelerating response times, teams are tapping AI-powered experience orchestration, giving rise to a generation of super agents. But fragmented systems are holding many back.  Three-quarters (75%) of Australian consumers believe it takes too long to get a service response, according to …

The pulse of pathology – How Healius listens to the voice of the patient

A pathology test can be a critical moment in a person’s healthcare journey. As Australia’s second-largest pathology provider, Healius processes millions of tests annually. However, behind the clinical precision of the laboratory lies a human experience that begins long before a needle meets a vein. It’s the responsibility of Nathan Kellie, National CX Insights Manager …

The folly of customer rabbit holes

Marketing and customer management is full of rabbit holes. Those who burrow ever deeper into them, nose down and backside up, miss the full picture. The Ghent Altarpiece is a 12-panel, 15th-century masterpiece by Jan and Hubert van Eyck. Painted in 1432, it’s regarded as one of the most important artworks in history – and …

AI and the new productivity frontier – Why customer Intent is the ultimate differentiator

In early March, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed something unexpected. After years of stagnation, Australia’s productivity is finally ticking up again. The surprising part isn’t the increase. It’s what’s driving it. Productivity or “gross domestic product per hour worked” was up one per cent over the year to December. Why was this …

Closing the experience gap – highlights from Qualtrics Experience Live Sydney

At this week’s Qualtrics Experience Live event in Sydney, the conversation focused on the impact and potential of AI in terms of Voice-of-Customer (VoC) and customer feedback analysis. Despite recent negative sentiment in the VoC market—highlighted by Medallia’s financial challenges and Qualtrics’ own recent funding hurdles—the event presented an optimistic future for the sector, centred …

Why empathy is the missing metric in AI‑driven customer experience

Australia has a customer service problem, and while AI is helping, it’s only part of the solution. Over the past few years, we’ve seen organisations invest heavily in technology to improve the customer experience. In many ways, it’s working, AI is helping resolve issues faster, reducing wait times and easing pressure on customer service teams. …

Zendesk unveils the future of agentic AI at Future of Service event

An audience of over 600 professionals across CX, IT, and operations attended Zendesk’s Future of Service event in Sydney last week. The event focused heavily on how AI has become a core component of high-value customer and employee experiences. As well as showcasing a range of local success stories from brands such as Petstock, MYOB, …