The Agentic Wave

The teams getting AI right are the ones who work cross-functionally. 

Brian Blackader, Partner at McKinsey & Company, joins Latané on The Agentic Wave. Brian has spent 20 years focused on operations, with a specialty in service. Today, Brian works with clients navigating the AI transformation specifically in the realm of customer service.

He and Latané discuss:

• What it takes to win at AI adoption in service
• The AI hot buttons of quality & economics
• Is outcome-based pricing the solve to unexpected spend?

McKinsey and Parloa just announced their alliance to help enterprises deliver customer service with the help of AI agents. Learn more here: https://www.parloa.com/parloa-in-the-press/mckinsey-and-parloa-announce-alliance-for-customer-facing-ai-technology/

Read more about the new era of CX metrics here: https://go.parloa.com/cx-observability-2026

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

Do you know what’s happening behind Door #1 of your AI?

Justin Robbins, Founder and Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa, joins Latané on The Agentic Wave. Parloa and Metric Sherpa just concluded a CX Observability study with CX operators and executives and uncovered some striking realizations around the state of CX metrics today. 

He and Latané discuss:

• The blind trust CX teams have on their numbers
• Why customer insights don’t make it out of the CX org
• The AI ticking time bomb

Get all of the findings from the CX Observability Study at https://go.parloa.com/cx-observability-2026

Join the CX Inner Circle: https://www.parloa.com/cx-inner-circle/ 

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

You can’t learn to ride a bike at a seminar. You can’t learn how to effectively leverage AI by watching it. 

Dr. Corina Taban, CEO of 934 Advisors, joins Latané on The Agentic Wave. Corina has dedicated her career to empowering business leaders to guide their teams through the AI transformation.

She and Latané discuss:

• The employment relationship not written into the official work contract
• How the economics productivity curve relates to AI adoption
• How AI increases the risk of quiet quitters

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

Interested in learning more for Corina? Join her live at WAVE next week: https://wave.parloa.com/

The best businesses deploying agentic CX today aren’t just looking at the cost-out play. They’re turning CX programs into revenue engines.

Mark Niemiec, CRO of SAP Customer Experience, joins Latané on The Agentic Wave. Parloa and SAP recently announced a partnership that empowers SAP customers to agentify SAP data into customer experiences that anticipate and delight.

He and Latané discuss:

• If seat-based sellers will be incentivized to sell AI 
• Why CROs should care about customer experience & how the CIO's role evolves with adoption
• The three most common concerns of AI adopters: maintenance, security & scale

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

Is your AI vendor delivering a French Laundry experience, or a Cheesecake Factory experience?

Matt Dixon, Founding Partner of DCM Insights and author of The Jolt Effect, Effortless Experience, and The Challenger Sale, joins Latané on The Agentic Wave. Matt has spent his career identifying what delivers the best customer experience, both pre- and post-sales. One of the most important elements? Guiding customers toward the best use case to start with, rather offering a buffet of options all at once.

He and Latané discuss:

• How customer effort scores create more effort for customers
• Insights that guide proactive outreach 
• Why FOMU (fear of messing up) is the great AI adoption staller

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

The shift from reactive to proactive service is finally here.

On this pilot episode of The Agentic Wave, Mike Gathright, Chief Customer Officer of HealthEquity, shares how his team is leveraging voice AI to not only anticipate, but act on customer needs. 

He and Latané discuss:

• How HealthEquity is leveraging AI for personalized, proactive outreach that mitigates customer stress. 
• The mindset shift from focusing on tech to focusing on human experience that ultimately led to successful AI deployment.
• The introduction of “agent builders” as instrumental employees on the HealthEquity team.

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops, every other Thursday.

At the intersection of AI and CX is the Agentic Wave. A shift McKinsey estimates could be worth TRILLIONS of dollars.

Ready to unlock that opportunity?

Every other week, Latané Conant, Chief Market Officer of Parloa, explores what it takes to confidently lead the biggest CX transformation in a generation. She talks with enterprise leaders about how they’re enabling their teams to ride the wave, asks top analysts what headlines they believe are just smoke or real fire, and explores what innovators are already looking to next. 

If you’re ready to drive business-defining transformation at your organization, this podcast is for you. 

Make sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss when a new episode drops every other Thursday.