CX Today

In this CX Today interview, Valoir Principal Rebecca Wettemann explains why time-based metrics like AHT and FCR need a rethink—and what leaders should measure instead, from outcome quality and AI-to-human handoffs to agent trust, coaching, and retention.

Contact centers are racing toward “always-on” service, but Rebecca Wettemann, Principal at Valoir, argues many teams are modernizing with the wrong scorecard. In this CX Today interview with Rob Wilkinson, she explains why legacy, time-based metrics like AHT and FCR were designed for a human-only world—and how AI changes the game when 70–80% of initial enquiries can be automated.

Wettemann unpacks what leaders should measure instead: quality of outcomes, AI-to-human handoff success, effective escalation (knowing when the bot can’t help and handing over with a clear summary), and whether agents actually trust and use AI coaching. 

She also explores the hidden impact of misaligned incentives on agent stress and retention and how AI can flip performance management from “big brother” monitoring to scalable recognition and support. 

In this discussion, CX Today’s Rhys Fisher speaks with Jim Eckes, Founder of TieTechnology, about the growing backlash against AI-first customer service strategies. 

With Amazon layoffs and rushed automation dominating headlines, Jim shares why many AI rollouts are failing, how companies are skipping critical CX foundations, and what businesses should do before replacing people with bots 

 If you care about customer loyalty, personalization, and smart tech investments, this is a must-watch. 

AI isn’t a silver bullet – and forcing it into broken CX systems might be doing more harm than good. Jim Eckes breaks down why layoffs tied to automation often mask deeper operational issues and why customers still crave human connection. 

In this conversation: 

Why “AI for AI’s sake” is causing failed CX transformations 

The real reason layoffs don’t fix customer service problems 

How CRM + phone integration can outperform expensive AI tools 

Where AI actually does make sense once foundations are fixed 

Next steps: 
Audit your current customer journey → Fix broken processes → Integrate your data → Then layer in AI strategically. 

Watch now and rethink your automation roadmap.

Rhys Fisher sits down with James Hughes, VP of Solutions at Sabio, to explore what’s really happening behind the scenes of AI’s rapid rise in the contact center world. 

With more than two decades of industry experience, James brings a clear, grounded perspective on where AI creates true business value. Together, they dig into the financial impact, the operational challenges, and why most organizations still struggle to turn AI hype into real transformation. 

AI is reshaping nearly every part of the enterprise, but in the contact center, it’s unlocking one of the biggest competitive advantages James Hughes has seen in 25 years. 

In this candid conversation, Rhys and James unpack the gap between AI’s promises and its real-world execution – from feature overload and platform migrations to the rising trend of buyers’ regret. 

James also reveals Sabio’s outcomes-based AI model and walks through their Inform, Transform, Perform framework, designed to help CX leaders cut through noise and focus on measurable business results. 

Key discussion points: 

• Why companies can now decouple CX costs from revenue more effectively than ever 
• How AI deployments fail when organizations chase features instead of transformation 
• Sabio’s outcomes-based AI model: customers only pay when value is proven 
• The blurry line between helpful personalization and intrusive data use 

Identify your top three AI use cases that can deliver meaningful ROI.

Start with a data-led “Inform” assessment before making technology decisions.

Explore outcomes-based AI models to reduce organizational risk. 

Subscribe to CX Today for more interviews with CX innovators.

 Find out why leaders are rushing into AI under pressure from boards, competitors, and vendors, often without truly understanding how it works or putting the right guardrails in place. Adrian explains how agentic AI and highly interconnected cloud systems are driving up complexity, risk, and consumer concern around data security and privacy.

From there, they get practical: what third-party AI risk actually means, why customers always blame the brand (not the vendor), and how things typically go wrong inside organisations – from broken workflows to poor communication when incidents happen. Adrian shares key questions to ask vendors about data, governance, and model performance, as well as how CX leaders can work more effectively with security, procurement, finance, and legal.

He closes with a powerful challenge: stop acting like the “hare” chasing AI hype – and start winning like the “tortoise” with a slower, more deliberate, trust-first approach.

If you’re considering AI in your CX stack, this is 30+ minutes you can’t afford to skip. 

Waiting on hold has become a cultural meme for a reason. People now experience “instant” everywhere else, food deliveries, banking, streaming. So when support asks them to wait, it doesn’t feel normal. It feels like outdated plumbing.

In this CX Today video, Rob Wilkinson sits down with Nuri Goj, Director of Platform Architecture for Zendesk Contact Center, to unpack what’s really happening inside the queue. From repeat contacts and KPI trade-offs to agent burnout and “AI theatre”, this is a grounded conversation about what it takes to remove uncertainty and reduce avoidable demand.

What you’ll take away:

• Why hold time isn’t neutral, it creates churn, repeat calls, and public complaints
• The hidden cost of “queue economics”: staffing spikes, escalations, and conflicting KPIs
• Why customers arrive to agents looking for justice, not help, and what that does to frontline teams
• Where “zero wait” works best (high-volume, repeatable intents) and where it needs human judgement
• The difference between bolt-on bots, hyperscaler DIY, and integrated service AI
• Why integration is the line between a helpful conversation and a resolved issue

Who should watch

• Heads of CX, Contact Centre Directors, COOs, and Customer Success leaders
• IT and digital leaders responsible for service platforms, data, and governance
• CX marketing and ops teams looking to reduce repeat work and improve resolution

In this interview, Kristian McCann speaks with Lathan Lewis, Head of Products at Tango Networks, about a challenge every IT leader faces: keeping communications online without overspending.

Throughout the talk, Lewis unpacks how companies can ditch dual UC platforms and aging copper lines - and still achieve flawless business continuity.

Key takeaways:

• Why maintaining duplicate UC platforms and legacy POTS lines drains budgets and resources.
• How “Mobile Network as a Service” enables real-time continuity - even if your UC platform suffers an outage.
• Practical steps to replace aging analog infrastructure with VoIP or cellular-powered alternatives.
• How mobility integration enhances security, efficiency, and end-user experience under IT control.

Next steps:

Explore modern mobility solutions like Tango Networks’ Tango Extend to consolidate continuity across platforms.

For years, the CX industry has obsessed over deploying AI to serve customers better. But a seismic shift is already underway and most contact centers aren't prepared for it.

Customer-initiated AI agents are now making calls, placing orders, and navigating your IVR on behalf of humans. Tools like OpenAI's Operator, Google Call Assist, and Kickoff's debt negotiation service aren't coming, they're here. A large US bank recently received its first live call from a personal AI agent attempting to negotiate debt settlement. The human agent had no policy, no playbook, no idea what to do. They didn't hang up. They authenticated the AI. They negotiated. The deal closed.

This is what Wayne Kay, Regional VP of Sales Leadership EMEA at TTEC Digital, calls "the gasp moment" - the instant CX leaders realize the script has flipped. AI isn't just the tool anymore. It's becoming the customer.

In this exclusive video interview, Wayne reveals what's catching organizations off guard, why authentication methods designed for humans are failing, and what contact centers must do now to prepare for a future where the majority of inbound interactions may not be human at all.

You'll discover:

• Why a major US bank's first AI customer call sent shockwaves through the industry
• The three blind spots CX leaders can't afford to ignore in 2026
• How to build AI customer readiness into your authentication, knowledge systems, and workflows
• What "trust between machines" actually means—and why your security team needs to be at the table
• TTEC Digital's approach to sandboxing AI customer scenarios before they become chaos

This isn't science fiction. It's happening on contact center floors right now. And if you're not thinking about it yet, you're already behind.

Listen to the full interview to understand the inversion - and what to do about it before your next call arrives.

For years, the CX industry has obsessed over deploying AI to serve customers better. But a seismic shift is already underway and most contact centers aren't prepared for it.

Customer-initiated AI agents are now making calls, placing orders, and navigating your IVR on behalf of humans. Tools like OpenAI's Operator, Google Call Assist, and Kickoff's debt negotiation service aren't coming, they're here. A large US bank recently received its first live call from a personal AI agent attempting to negotiate debt settlement. The human agent had no policy, no playbook, no idea what to do. They didn't hang up. They authenticated the AI. They negotiated. The deal closed.

This is what Wayne Kay, Regional VP of Sales Leadership EMEA at TTEC Digital, calls "the gasp moment" - the instant CX leaders realize the script has flipped. AI isn't just the tool anymore. It's becoming the customer.

In this exclusive video interview, Wayne reveals what's catching organizations off guard, why authentication methods designed for humans are failing, and what contact centers must do now to prepare for a future where the majority of inbound interactions may not be human at all.

You'll discover:

• Why a major US bank's first AI customer call sent shockwaves through the industry
• The three blind spots CX leaders can't afford to ignore in 2026
• How to build AI customer readiness into your authentication, knowledge systems, and workflows
• What "trust between machines" actually means - and why your security team needs to be at the table
• TTEC Digital's approach to sandboxing AI customer scenarios before they become chaos
• This isn't science fiction. It's happening on contact center floors right now. And if you're not thinking about it yet, you're already behind.

Watch the full interview to understand the inversion - and what to do about it before your next call arrives.

In this episode of CX Today, host Christopher Carey sits down with Gaurav Anand, Global Head of Customer Interaction Suite at Tata Communications, to explore how modern enterprises are transforming customer experience in a hyper-connected, AI-driven world. With over 26 years at Tata Communications, Gaurav brings deep insight into the evolution of customer interaction—from on-prem to cloud, from human-only workflows to human-AI collaboration. This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on how global enterprises are redesigning engagement, improving agent productivity, and building the next generation of intelligent CX platforms.

Key insights include:

• How AI—voice, conversational, generative, and agentic—is reshaping customer and agent journeys.
• Why enterprise CX requires unified platforms, connected data, and omnichannel orchestration.
• The cultural principles behind Tata Communications’ “whatever it takes” approach to customer obsession.
• The shift from traditional connectivity to a global digital ecosystem that spans cloud, IoT, security, media, and customer interaction fabrics.

To explore how your organization can overcome the customer journey black hole and create seamless, unified experiences, contact Tata Communications to learn more about their integrated CX platform capabilities.

Rhys Fisher, Associate Editor at CX Today, sits down with Scott Doherty, WFM Consultant at Sabio, to unpack how workforce management has evolved from a back-office numbers game into a strategic lever for customer experience, agent wellbeing, and business performance.

With omni-channel complexity, hybrid work, and AI now reshaping contact centres, this conversation explores what planners are really dealing with – and why the old spreadsheet model simply can’t cope anymore.

Main Description

Workforce planning is no longer about ‘hitting service levels at all costs.’ In this wide-ranging discussion, Doherty explains why modern WFM must balance technology, transparency, and human empathy – or risk burning out agents and budgets alike.

Key takeaways include:

Why omni-channel demand, social media volatility, and hybrid work have broken traditional spreadsheet-based planning

Lessons from Sabio’s WFM community days, including intraday volatility, legacy tech pain, and chat concurrency challenges

How AI should act as a co-pilot for planners – augmenting decisions, not replacing human judgment

Why agent-centric planning (micro-shifts, schedule nudges, self-service) delivers better CX and long-term ROI

Doherty also shares practical examples of how AI-driven insights, explainable forecasting, and real-time optimization can elevate planners from queue-fighters to strategic storytellers.

Next steps:

Review whether your WFM tools support explainability and planner override

Involve operations teams earlier in technology decisions

Pilot agent-friendly initiatives like micro-shifts or real-time schedule nudges

Reframe WFM KPIs to balance efficiency, empathy, and experience