Justifying CX investments in measurable financial terms is becoming increasingly difficult to justify, as budget approvals continue to depend on demonstrating immediate operational savings.
In fact, a recent Gartner stat revealed that only 36% of CFOs are confident about driving AI impact, making it increasingly difficult for AI projects to secure investment based on long-term strategic value alone.
This leaves CX leaders needing to move away from treating customer outcomes and financial outcomes as separate conversations as scrutiny increases.
In conversation with CX Today at Zendesk London Showcase 2026, John Kelleher, VP of Sales UKI at Zendesk, highlighted that although organizations recognize AI’s broader potential, investment decisions are still primarily driven by financial justification.
“Whilst people are starting to realise, there’s far more value in AI than the cost out, it was still nets out,” he explained.
“And where is the cost size? Because I’m going to make an investment here.”
The Budgetary Reality of AI Transformation
Despite AI now considered central to modernized CX transformation, the way enterprises evaluate these investments has changed far less than the technology itself.
As organizations recognize its improvements toward customer engagement and revenue growth to free up employees for higher value work, current economic uncertainty and continued pressure to control spending does not secure funding for these long-term benefits.
As the financial approval process becomes even more demanding, AI initiatives must first satisfy cost expectations of executive leadership before they can move forward.
“Fundamentally, any large investments still need to go past the CFO,” Kelleher points out.
“Given global conflicts, given all the challenges, so many companies are experiencing so much pressure.”
While AI is often discussed as a strategic growth technology, and CX leaders may see opportunities to increase customer retention or create new revenue streams, finance teams are typically focused on measurable returns that can be clearly justified before investment begins.
For organizations that understand AI’s broader strategic value but struggle to express that value in financial terms, improvements to CX are often viewed as a secondary priority during investment process because they are not direct operational savings.
“I think that cost benefit is the fundamental tool that will justify the investment,” he argued.
“We want to know that’s there; we want to know how to articulate that. But honestly, we [financial teams] will base our investment on this.”
While organizations may believe AI can become a catalyst for innovation and growth, but the first investment hurdle means that many AI initiatives risk stalling before their wider business benefits can even be considered.
How to Build an Economic Blueprint for Innovation
Rather than treating AI investment just as a technology decision, Zendesk encourages organizations to establish a structured business case before implementation begins.
When leaders lack a clear framework, many struggle to define how it fits within their broader business objectives, meaning promising initiatives can lose momentum.
To address this, Zendesk has developed a five-pillar framework that helps customers move beyond isolated AI pilots and build a roadmap that aligns to both CX and financial goals.
“The third pillar is building out a more rounded business case, recognizing we need to identify the cost,” Kelleher said.
Since measurable cost reduction remains essential for executive approval, financial teams should encourage organizations to present those savings alongside a broader set of business outcomes that demonstrate AI’s long-term strategic value.
He asked:
“How do we take customer service insight and turn that into the next wave of product R&D innovation?”
When AI creates opportunities for employees to focus on higher value work, this helps organizations strengthen relationships and transforming interactions into a primary source of insight for future products and services.
This also includes preventing organizations from approaching AI in a fragmented way, Zendesk advises combining immediate financial justification with longer-term measures of customer and business value.
By helping organizations secure executive approval while laying the foundations for AI initiatives that deliver returns well beyond initial investment, Zendesk aims to ensure AI is viewed as a long-term business capability that supports both finance and CX outcomes.
