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, …

How Uniting NSW.ACT is ensuring the voice of the people it serves shapes its future

Transforming customer experience in a large-scale not-for-profit takes both empathy and operational precision, especially when services support people at moments of vulnerability. At Uniting NSW.ACT, that transformation is being accelerated by embedding service design capability and three practical shifts: Uniting NSW.ACT is one of Australia’s largest and most prominent not-for-profit community service organisations. With a …

From invisible risk to total clarity – quality assurance in the AI era

Organisations today are unknowingly carrying a potential burden of invisible risk. Most chats, calls, emails and social media interactions are not monitored or evaluated. Erik van Eekelen, Founder and CEO of Icana.AI, advises, “Traditional Quality Assurance (QA) processes typically analyse only a very small fraction of customer interactions, often less than 2%, which means the …

Amplifying empathy with AI – Interview with Michelle Francis, General Manager of Customer Success at Australia Post

For an organisation that connects millions of Australians every day, the shift toward artificial intelligence is about amplifying the human element. At the centre of this transformation is Michelle Francis, General Manager of Customer Success at Australia Post. Managing an ecosystem that serves millions of senders and receivers, Michelle’s mission is clear – modernise the …

The 2026 Customer 360 Symposium – Discussing CX leaders’ priorities

Last week, the vineyards of the Hunter Valley served as the backdrop for the 13th annual Customer 360 Symposium. Bringing together over 150 of the region’s most influential CX and customer insights leaders. If you missed the morning mists and the deep-dive sessions, here is the essential roundup of what shaped the conversations this year. …

Mastering the digital customer journey in an AI orchestrated world

The digital customer journey, traditionally viewed as a linear progression from awareness to purchase, has evolved into a dynamic, ‘always-on’ ecosystem. Every digital touchpoint—from a social media scroll to a voice-activated search—serves as a data signal that informs a brand’s understanding of a consumer. On their journey, customers often jump between discovery and deep research …

2026 – The year to prioritise contact centre efficiency and quality

It’s a tough time to be in business. Geo-political tensions continue to disrupt supply chains, damage business confidence and throw forecasts and forward plans into abject disarray. Customers, meanwhile, have never been more demanding – or disgruntled. Almost two-thirds of Australians have a moderate to high sense of grievance and believe governments and private enterprise …