AI isn’t about replacing people — it’s about unlocking productivity and making customer experiences feel more human.

On this episode of Right About Now, Ryan Alford sits down with Vinod Muthukrishnan, VP & GM of Webex Customer Experience at Cisco, to discuss how AI is transforming customer experience from fragmented interactions into continuous, context-driven conversations.

Vinod explains why the purpose of AI in CX is not efficiency alone — it’s humanization. From “concierge agents” that become the face of a brand to agentic systems that orchestrate complex multi-step requests across departments, this conversation explores the end of CX silos and the rise of intelligent, brand-aligned AI interfaces.

They also tackle the real question everyone’s asking: is AI taking jobs — or elevating them?

• AI should make CX more human. Automation should enhance context, empathy, and continuity — not remove them.

• Context is the missing link in customer loyalty. Most brands reset conversations every time. AI fixes that.

• Concierge agents become the brand. They orchestrate backend systems while delivering one seamless customer conversation.

• Agentic AI moves beyond tasks. It executes complex, multi-step “jobs” across systems over time.

• AI won’t replace humans — but AI-powered humans will win. Repetitive work declines. Strategic expertise rises.

Vinod Muthukrishnan
VP & GM, Webex Customer Experience – Cisco

X: https://x.com/Vinod_CC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinodmkrishnan

Ryan Alford
Website: https://ryanisright.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford