CX Today

Diabolocom’s AI Product Manager Tom Azernour on why orchestration, not automation, is the real future of contact center AI 

Host Rhys Fisher, Associate Editor at CX Today, sits down with Tom Azernour, AI Product Manager at Diabolocom, to unpack why the virtual agent category is long overdue for a rethink. 

As contact centers move beyond legacy voice bots into the agentic era, Tom explains what "orchestration-first" AI actually means in practice and why the architecture decisions made today will define CX performance for years to come. 

If your virtual agent is still just deflecting calls, this is the conversation you need to watch. 

Most virtual agents deflect calls. Diabolocom's orchestrates them. Tom Azernour breaks down what separates the new generation of AI-powered virtual agents from legacy bots, and why the difference matters more than most leaders realize. 

From deflection to orchestration: Why the decision tree model is dead, and how Diabolocom's agentic approach gives virtual agents a goal and the autonomy to achieve it, connecting to CRMs, ERPs, and ticketing tools without overhauling your existing stack. 

The structured handoff: Why passing a raw transcript isn't enough, and how Diabolocom extracts intent, summaries, flags, and custom data fields to give the next agent, human or virtual, everything they need from the first second. 

Built for operators, not engineers: How Diabolocom designed a platform that non-technical teams can configure in minutes, without sacrificing the depth that technical users need. 

The CCaaS + telco advantage: 20+ years of end-to-end infrastructure ownership means Diabolocom optimizes its AI models and telephony stack in harmony, delivering latency that competitors wrapping third-party solutions simply can't match.

Should AI own the customer relationship, or should it make human sellers better prepared?

In this CX Today interview, Francesca Roche speaks with John Golden, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Coevera, about why artificial intelligence should support B2B sales teams without replacing the trust, judgment, and nuance that complex relationships require.

Golden argues that traditional customer relationship management (CRM) systems were often built as systems of record for management visibility, rather than practical tools that help salespeople understand and develop relationships. As buying committees grow and enterprise deals become more complex, sales teams need more than static records. They need context, relationship intelligence, and clear guidance on where to focus next.

The discussion explores how AI can help by removing routine administrative work, improving account visibility, surfacing useful insights, and helping sellers prepare for important conversations. But Golden is clear that AI should not be treated as the owner of the relationship. Instead, it should make sure the human seller is the most informed and capable person in the room.

He also warns that AI will only be as useful as the data behind it. Poor CRM data can lead to faster, but still flawed, recommendations. For sales and CX leaders, that makes data quality, CRM architecture, and human oversight essential parts of any AI strategy.

Watch the full interview to learn how Coevera views the future of CRM, why relationships remain central to revenue, and how AI can help sales teams work smarter without losing the human connection.

How do CX leaders move beyond AI hype without creating new risk for customers, agents, and the business?

In this CX Today interview, Rob Wilkinson speaks with Rebecca Wettemann, Principal at Valoir, about why the conversation around AI in customer experience is becoming more practical and more urgent. They explore the shift from fear of missing out to fear of messing up, why so many teams still struggle to move beyond pilots, and what separates low-risk experimentation from costly missteps.

Rebecca explains why trusted data, clear workflows, and strong business cases matter more than ever. She also shares how leading organizations are rethinking workforce roles, agent support, and governance as AI takes on more customer-facing tasks.

If you are trying to turn AI ambition into measurable outcomes this quarter, this discussion offers grounded advice on where to start and what to avoid.

Why do so many AI projects look promising in a pilot, then become harder to trust in production?

In this CX Today interview, Francesca Roche speaks with John Anderson, AI Architect at Quiq, and Priscilla Lee, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Quiq, about the gap between AI capability and AI confidence in customer experience.

The discussion explores why AI projects often stall after an encouraging pilot. According to the speakers, the problem is rarely that AI cannot complete the task. The bigger issue is that leaders, compliance teams, and quality assurance teams need to understand how AI behaves before they put it in front of customers at scale.

Anderson and Lee explain why production AI needs more than good answers. It needs clear guardrails, repeatable testing, visibility into decision-making, and the ability to carry customer context across channels. Without that structure, organizations can end up with fragmented tools, technical debt, and customer journeys that feel less connected as AI expands.

The conversation also covers Quiq’s “verified intelligence” approach, including how simulations, observability, and escalation controls can help enterprises move faster without losing trust.

For CX leaders, contact center leaders, and enterprise buyers, this interview offers a practical look at what changes when AI moves from a controlled pilot into the complexity of real customer interactions.

For more Customer Experience tech news visit https://www.cxtoday.com

From hidden fan bases to agentic AI campaigns, Amperity’s Derek Slager reveals how Amperity is rewiring how sports teams, and every bran, act on customer data in real time. 

Introduction: In this discussion, host and Associate Editor Rhys Fisher sits down with Derek Slager, Co-Founder and CTO of Amperity, to unpack the uncomfortable truth about fan engagement in professional sports: most teams are sitting on fragmented, incomplete data — and it's costing them. 

With the NFL draft on the horizon and agentic AI reshaping what's possible in marketing, this conversation is essential viewing for anyone serious about closing the gap between data collection and real-time customer action. 

Main Description: The Seattle Seahawks discovered 5,000 fans they didn't know existed. Sound far-fetched? Derek Slager says it's more common than you'd think, and the reason is simpler than you'd expect. 

The fragmented data problem: NFL teams often have single-digit data teams juggling 20+ disconnected systems — ticketing, POS, merchandise, social — with no unified fan view. 

What "holistic" actually means: Amperity defines it as stitching together every touchpoint across the full fan lifecycle, from pre-game engagement to post-event merchandise follow-ups. 

CDPs as systems of intelligence: Slager breaks down how Amperity's new Customer Data Agent moves beyond data storage to real-time campaign generation — strategy, analysis, and execution in one motion. 

The universal lesson: Whether you're an NFL franchise or a retail brand, the advice is the same — stop theorising, start doing. The teams getting AI value today are the ones willing to go first. 

Next Steps: 

🔗 Explore Amperity's Customer Data Agent at amperity.com 

📖 Read more CX + AI coverage at cxtoday.com 

💬 Share this with your data or marketing team and ask: "Do we actually have a unified customer view?" 

👍 Like and subscribe to CX Today for weekly expert conversations

Customer Contact Week 2026 opened with one of the most anticipated main stage sessions in the event's history. A packed Academy Ballroom at Caesars Forum. Thousands of contact center leaders on their feet. And a conversation about what AI-first service actually looks like when it is no longer a roadmap — it is running, right now, inside one of Europe's most recognised travel brands.

The moment the session closed, Rob Scott pulled three of the people who built that story into a room and kept the cameras rolling.

What followed was something the main stage format simply does not allow. No moderated talking points. No polished announcements. Just the airline, the transformation partner, and the Microsoft product leader behind the platform — talking honestly about what it took, what broke, what surprised them, and what they would do differently.

This is not the version you heard on stage.

easyJet handles millions of customer contacts at the most pressurised moments in travel — and John Leighton, Head of Customer Experience, shared how the expectations on their service team have never been higher. Aggie Pulawski, Executive Vice President at Concentrix, came in not as a vendor, but as a partner sitting inside a genuinely complex three-way relationship — customer, implementer, and ecosystem ally all at once. And Darya Mazandarany, Microsoft's Head of Product for Dynamics 365 Contact Center, was there to answer the questions that do not get asked when a moderator is managing four thousand people and a 30-minute clock.

The result is one of the most candid contact center transformation conversations CX Today has produced — and one of the most relevant for any leader who is serious about what comes next.

The transformation drivers. The partnership dynamics no one talks about publicly. The reality of building a modern contact center when the pressure is live and the margin for error is low. The point at which automation goes too far. The lessons that never make it into a business case. And where all three of them believe this is heading.

Are legacy CRM and customer data platform stacks holding back enterprise AI strategies?

In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing speaks with Rafael Flores, Chief Product and Growth Officer at Treasure AI, formerly Treasure Data, about why traditional customer experience stacks may no longer move fast enough for AI-led customer engagement.

Flores explains why legacy CRM and CDP systems can feel too rigid for modern teams, particularly when marketers need governed data, fast activation, and practical support in real time. Flores also breaks down what “AI-native” should actually mean, why credible AI needs to be usable now, and how agentic experience platforms could help teams move campaigns from weeks to days.

The discussion also explores the risks of running AI on fragmented customer data, the importance of governance and prompt consistency, and how enterprises can approach migration without letting existing contracts slow down future progress.

Watch the full interview to hear why Treasure AI believes a new platform layer is emerging for customer data, decisioning, and engagement.

For more Customer Experience tech news visit https://www.cxtoday.com

95% of enterprise AI pilots never reach production. Not because the technology fails — because the approach does.

At CCW Las Vegas, CX Today's Rob Scott sat down with Hannah Bloking (Head of Applied AI Acceleration Solutions Architecture, Amazon Connect Customer), Andrei Papancea (Head of AI Engineering, AWS), and Nate Brown (Co-Founder, CX Accelerator) right after their session on why AI pilots fail — and what the 5% who succeed do differently.

Three questions. Three perspectives. Fifteen minutes of the most practical AI deployment advice from the conference floor.

What CX leaders are really afraid of when it comes to AI
What actually kills a pilot before it ships
What the organisations that succeed do differently

Key takeaways:
Speed is a differentiator
Iterate — don't aim for perfection
Minimise confusion for customers, agents, and teams

Reported live from CCW Las Vegas 2026
More coverage at cxtoday.com

What makes a passenger choose the same airline again when price is no longer enough?

In this CX Today interview, Francesca Roche speaks with Dr Jennifer Coisson, Director of Research and Advisory Services at Sogolytics, about the customer experience factors shaping airline loyalty in the US market.

Drawing on findings from Sogolytics’ US Airlines 2026 CX Rankings, Dr Coisson explains why low fares may influence the first booking, but service quality, in-flight experience, loyalty programs, communication, and disruption recovery are what often determine whether travelers return.

The discussion explores why 50 percent of travelers still view ticket price as a top decision factor, how frequent flyers and occasional travelers prioritize different parts of the journey, and why moments of disruption can either damage trust or strengthen loyalty.

Dr Coisson also highlights the importance of operational basics, including cabin cleanliness, baggage handling, seat comfort, and staff empathy. As airlines look ahead, she explains why proactive service recovery, better segmentation, greater flexibility, and a more connected end-to-end journey will be central to earning customer trust.

For more Customer Experience tech news visit https://www.cxtoday.com

Is your customer experience strategy ready for the speed of AI-driven cyber threats?

In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing speaks with Quincy Castro, Chief Information Security Officer at Chainguard, about how artificial intelligence is reshaping enterprise cybersecurity, vulnerability discovery and remediation.

Castro explains why frontier AI models are making zero-day vulnerabilities cheaper and faster to find, why traditional 30, 60 and 90-day patching cycles are struggling to keep up, and why this matters far beyond the security team.

For customer experience and contact center leaders, the message is clear: security is now part of the brand promise. If emergency patching breaks production environments, disrupts customers, or creates churn, cybersecurity becomes a direct CX issue.

The conversation also explores Chainguard’s Athena coalition, which brings together security vendors, cloud providers, financial institutions and infrastructure organizations to help coordinate faster, safer responses to newly discovered vulnerabilities.

Watch the full interview to learn why remediation has become the new cybersecurity bottleneck, how AI can chain lower-severity vulnerabilities into serious attacks and what enterprise leaders need to change as AI accelerates both software development and cyber risk.

For more Customer Experience tech news visit https://www.cxtoday.com