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In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, Emily Miller sits down with Wilmac CEO Steve McDonnell and Ian Jacobs, VP and Lead Analyst at Opus Research, to talk about where customer experience is headed and how AI is reshaping contact centers without leaving people behind.

Tune in to hear Ian’s perspective on:

• What’s really working with conversational AI in the enterprise today
 • Why legacy call recordings are more than just compliance - they’re a goldmine for CX and AI
 • How the NICE + Cognigy acquisition signals a shift toward integrated AI human collaboration
 • Where contact centers large and small are getting stuck in the modernization journey
 • Why the future of work in CX is about augmentation, not replacement

Whether you’re leading transformation or just trying to keep up with the pace of AI, this conversation offers clarity, nuance, and some refreshing realism.

Episode Breakdown

0:26 – Meet the guests: Wilmac’s CEO and Opus Research’s lead analyst
 4:44 – From chatbots to real impact: conversational AI today
 12:05 – NICE + Cognigy: What the acquisition means for CX
 21:00 – Why some contact centers are still far behind
 25:15 – Real world use cases for AI in healthcare, retail, and beyond
 29:13 – Making your call recordings work for AI and training
 36:00 – What the future of work in the contact center really looks like

Connect with the speakers

🔗 Ian Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iangjacobs/
 🔗 Steve McDonnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mcdonnell-8659042b/
 🔗 Emily Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-666b66152/

🎙️ Listen to more episodes: https://wilmactech.com/the-wilmac-wire-data-management-cx-ccaas-saas-technology-podcast/