Why Agentic AI and CX orchestration are redefining Australian contact centres

In the past, mention AI to an executive, and they will likely picture a traditional rules-based chatbot or a standard text-completion copilot.The arrival of sophisticated, multi-modal AI frameworks and cognitive computing has shattered those old paradigms, shifting the conversation from simple automation to true operational autonomy.  In an insightful industry interview, David Russell, General Manager, …

High volume, tighter windows – Data-backed imperatives for retail’s peak season 2026

The traditional blueprint for retail’s golden quarter has officially shattered. For years, eCommerce and retail leaders relied on a predictable cadence, launch promotions early in Q4, cast a wide net with global campaigns, and watch average order values lift bottom-line revenue. Data from Contentsquare’s Peak Season Benchmark Report reveals that consumer behaviour has fundamentally evolved. …

Why ‘Status-as-a-Service’ will redefine customer conversations

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that customer expectations rarely stand still. The last couple of years have been telling. People have grown used to real-time visibility across almost every area of their digital lives. From tracking parcels in real-time, monitoring ride arrivals to the minute, to receiving instant confirmations for everything from food deliveries to bank transfers. Australian Consumers now …

The 2026 tightrope – The four friction points threatening AI ROI and customer empathy

Striking a balance between the continuous pressure for cost efficiency and the undeniable need for empathetic customer care is the defining challenge of 2026. Polling conducted at the Contact Centre Symposium 2026 in May revealed that while AI adoption is accelerating, the friction points are overwhelmingly human and operational rather than purely technological. The poll …

AI and hyperscalers trigger historic shift in contact centre and CX technology market, new research finds

The enterprise contact centre market is undergoing its biggest structural shift in more than a decade, according to the newly released 2026 APAC Contact Centre CX Platforms with AI Buyers Guide from independent research and advisory firm, CrayonIQ. The report finds organisations are no longer simply selecting contact centre platforms. Instead, procurement is increasingly driven …

Breaking the bottlenecks of data, silos and the CX execution gap

Across APAC, most executives I meet have no shortage of ambition. They talk about hyper‑personalisation, omnichannel journeys and AI‑powered service. Yet when you sit with the agents, case workers or relationship managers who are meant to bring that vision to life, a very different reality emerges. The real CX execution gap sits between strategic intent …

Managing the next-gen army of humans and bots – The future of Workforce Management (WFM)

Three decades ago, the contact centre industry was bound to physical facilities. In these bustling, centralised hubs, rows of agents sat side-by-side, handling simple, straightforward voice calls within rigid brick-and-mortar constraints.  Workforce management (WFM) was a rudimentary administrative task, largely limited to basic time-and-attendance tracking and simple shift allocations. The operational landscape was uncomplicated, as …

Transparency emerges as the new battleground for consumer trust in AI

As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in everyday digital experiences, companies are facing a new reality: consumers want to know what is happening to their personal information, why it is happening, and how it affects them. For years, many organisations treated privacy as mainly a legal and compliance exercise. Lengthy terms and conditions and …

From transaction to concierge – How Our Vacation Centre is re-engineering global CX with AI

For global travel and hospitality brands, customer experience (CX) is a complex, multinational orchestration of journeys. At Our Vacation Centre—a prominent travel loyalty provider under the global Arrivia umbrella—managing these dynamics involves coordinating a highly distributed, multilingual footprint. In an industry vulnerable to sudden geopolitical shifts and changing consumer habits, the organisation has shifted its …