What does it really take to build an AI-powered customer experience from the ground up?

Lacey Peace sits down with Katie Bianchi, Chief Customer Officer at Palo Alto Networks, to unpack how her team rebuilt support systems for the AI era — eliminating handoffs, reducing resolution time by over 40%, and transforming how their teams work.

Katie walks through their phased AI implementation strategy, from data unification and process re-architecture to training internal copilots capable of diagnosing the most complex cases. She shares why tight alignment between product, IT, and customer success is now a non-negotiable, and how empowering frontline employees to lead experimentation created real transformation.

Plus, Katie gets candid about what she would’ve done differently, why NPS might be obsolete, and how AI is becoming the operating system for work itself. Whether you're navigating digital transformation or trying to unite siloed teams, this episode offers a clear, tactical, and deeply human roadmap to scaling customer experience in the age of AI.
 

Key Moments:

00:00 Meet AI-Expert Katie Bianchi, CCO at Palo Alto Networks

01:31 Why Dirty Data Is Killing Your AI Strategy

02:46 AI Adoption Starts with Empowered Employees

06:49 Joining a Cybersecurity Giant During Peak Disruption

08:41 Step-by-Step: How Palo Alto Networks Rolled Out AI

14:17 Building a Culture of Rapid Experimentation

21:50 What AI Agents Can Do in Tech Support Right Now

23:12 What We’d Do Differently: Lessons from the Frontlines of AI

25:47 End-to-End Automation: Connecting Pre- and Post-Sales

27:38 Smarter CX: Turning Data Into Actionable Insights

36:41 Rethinking Metrics: How to Measure AI’s Real Impact

39:17 From Reactive to Proactive: Real AI Customer Wins

41:26 AI as Your New Operating System: What’s Next

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