AI Security and Customer Data Risks Feature in Big Tech Results
The latest earnings calls reveal growing concerns about governing AI agents, controlling permissions and protecting enterprise data. Meanwhile, the Coinbase analytics incident and other cyberattacks show why CX leaders must look beyond their own systems to safeguard customers.
Nicole Willing · 23h
AI Behind Critical Moments: How Automation and Humans Work Together
When disruption strikes, customer service can become mission-critical in minutes. Content Guru’s AI Product Director Rhys Harris explains how AI can manage surging demand, provide proactive updates, and strengthen human support when urgency, complexity or vulnerability requires a fast response
Nicole Willing · 30 Oct 2026
The CRM Buying Decision Starts Before the Vendor Shortlist
As AI agents take on more work across customer-facing systems, CRM investment decisions need to account for data readiness and the processes businesses want to automate. Here's why CX leaders should get the right people involved before committing their next platform.
Nicole Willing · 30 Oct 2026
ServiceNow Lands HPE & Stagwell as It Pushes “New CRM” Beyond Legacy
ServiceNow’s latest customer wins reinforce the argument made in its Q3 earnings call that CRM is shifting from a sales-led system of record to an AI-powered workflow layer that connects customer, employee, IT, operations, field service and governance processes.
Nicole Willing · 29 Oct 2026
The Security Patch Dilemma Is Becoming a Customer Experience Crisis
An eventful Cybersecurity Awareness Month has brought fresh vulnerabilities and urgent patching demands. For customer-facing businesses, the challenge is keeping services secure without leaving customers exposed or disrupting the experiences they depend on.
Nicole Willing · 28 Oct 2026
Board Pressure vs Frontline Reality: Fixing Stalled CX AI Plans
Boards want fast AI wins, but rushed customer-facing automation can frustrate customers and unsettle agents. QContact’s Stephen Butler-Emmett explains why back-office use cases such as QA, agent assist and demand analysis offer a safer, more measurable place to start
Nicole Willing · 27 Oct 2026
CRM-Connected AI and the Fight to Control Customer Data
CRM providers are competing to connect customer information with real-time engagement and AI-driven action, with this week’s announcements highlighting different approaches to integration, automation and control. Can businesses turn these connections into better customer experiences?
Nicole Willing · 27 Oct 2026
PHPocalypse Threat Dominates a Week of Cyber Disruption
A wave of critical vulnerabilities and outages has put customer-facing systems under pressure this week, led by attempts to exploit PHP and a Google Cloud power event, followed by fresh warnings around AI agents, deepfake detection, open-source security and CX observability.
Nicole Willing · 24 Oct 2026
Shadow AI Puts Customer Data and CX at Risk as Agents Raise the Stakes
Shadow AI agents are entering enterprise workflows with access to sensitive customer data and business systems, often without security oversight. As autonomous tools take action, CX leaders must help establish the governance, visibility and controls needed to protect customer trust.
Nicole Willing · 23 Oct 2026
NHS 24 Scotland Shows Why CX Leaders Must Design Around Outcomes
NHS 24’s customer experience transformation shows why CRM modernization should start with customer outcomes, not internal systems. By redesigning journeys around access, continuity and safety, it offers CX leaders a practical model for outcome-led service change.
Nicole Willing · 23 Oct 2026
PHPocalypse Security Flaws Force Websites Offline to Protect Customers
Critical PHP2Shell vulnerabilities forced websites and public services offline as organisations raced to patch systems and protect users. Dubbed the “PHPocalypse”, the incident shows how runtime security flaws can disrupt customer journeys across the Internet.
Nicole Willing · 22 Oct 2026
Google Cloud Power Outage Disrupts U.K. Banks and Essential Services
Revolut, Lloyds, HSBC and a range of U.K. websites were hit as a Google Cloud power event disrupted London-based infrastructure. As customers struggled with payments and account access, the incident renewed questions over cloud resilience and supplier dependency.
Nicole Willing · 20 Oct 2026
CRM Vendors Tackle AI Costs and Customer Data Access
CRM vendors are connecting customer data to AI-driven sales, marketing and analytics while addressing spending and governance. This week’s updates include HubSpot’s pricing changes, Salesforce Hunter’s Demandbase partnership and Adobe’s customer journey analytics features.
Nicole Willing · 20 Oct 2026
Who Controls the Agents? JPMorgan and NVIDIA Tackle AI Security Risks
This week’s security news highlights the growing gap between agentic AI adoption and AI assurance. Meanwhile, ransomware threats are becoming more personal, stolen financial credentials are climbing, and retail remains exposed to complex cyber risks.
Nicole Willing · 17 Oct 2026
The AI Handoff Problem CX Leaders Need to Fix
Poor AI-to-human handoffs increase customer effort, repeat contact and frustration. Five9 outlines five practical steps that show CX leaders how to measure outcomes, connect context across channels, equip advisors and improve the transfer experience, to build a more reliable handoff model.
Nicole Willing · 16 Oct 2026
Will Consumer AI Agents Force Businesses to Rethink CRM?
Consumer AI agents could change how people make purchasing decisions and interact with customer service teams. That raises questions for CRM leaders about customer relationships, data and how businesses maintain their place in an increasingly AI-mediated customer journey.
Nicole Willing · 16 Oct 2026
When Stolen Identity Data Turns Your Next Customer Into a Fraudster
Data breach warnings across Japan, the U.S. and Canada highlight a growing enterprise risk that criminals can use stolen identity documents and personal data to pass customer checks. Prove’s Mary Ann Miller told CX Today why businesses need stronger, continuous identity verification.
Nicole Willing · 14 Oct 2026
From Heathrow to the Bundesliga, CRM Gets Closer to the Customer
Can CRM turn customer data into better experiences? Adobe and Heathrow are targeting more personalised passenger journeys, while ServiceNow reports 89% first-contact resolution for Bundesliga fan enquiries. Salesforce, HubSpot and Zeta Global also make moves across CRM and customer data.
Nicole Willing · 13 Oct 2026
What ASOS, AI Agents and 400+ Vulnerabilities Reveal About CX Risk
ASOS, Anthropic, Microsoft, Cloudflare, IBM and Red Hat all made cybersecurity headlines this week that point to the common challenge for customer experience teams in keeping customer data and connected systems secure as technology becomes more autonomous.
Nicole Willing · 10 Oct 2026
Why Customer Service AI Needs a Post-Launch Operating Model
Parloa's Csaba Tamas tells CX Today that launching an AI agent is only stage one. Business teams need practical control after go-live, treating agents like employees who need coaching, feedback and constant fine-tuning to stay aligned with the business
Nicole Willing · 9 Oct 2026
Your CRM Data Could Hold the Key to AI Differentiation
Enterprises may not find their AI advantage in the latest model. It could be buried in years of proprietary CRM data. John Cheney, CEO Founder and Founder at WorkBooks, explained how AI can help businesses clean up that data and turn internal knowledge into a competitive asset.
Nicole Willing · 9 Oct 2026
AI Handoffs Should Feel Seamless. Why Aren’t They?
A completed AI-to-human transfer does not guarantee a successful customer outcome, with research finding a sharp gap between organisational confidence and customer experience. Five9 explains why handoffs break down and how organisations can cut customer effort while improving resolution
Nicole Willing · 8 Oct 2026
Why ServiceNow Says AI Agents Demand a New Security Model
ServiceNow says the rise of AI agents is changing the cybersecurity conversation, entering a new phase where enterprises need stronger identity controls, deeper visibility and faster remediation to reduce the risk of threats from malicious attackers and unexpected agent behavior.
Nicole Willing · 7 Oct 2026
AI Agents Trigger a New Battle for Customer Data Control
As AI agents begin to retrieve, interpret and act on customer information, the CRM and CDP market is shifting from data unification to governed decision-making. Oracle, Microsoft, Braze, SAP and Iterable are competing to control how customer intelligence is used.
Nicole Willing · 6 Oct 2026
AI Agents Raise Fresh Risks for Customer Data
Customer data, AI agents and core CX platforms are all coming under pressure. This week saw OpenAI expand its investigation into agents accessing third-party systems and data, 40 million McDonald’s records exposed, and an AI agent breaching a customer support platform
Nicole Willing · 3 Oct 2026
AI Agents Need Active Management, Not a One-Time Build
Deploying an AI agent isn't the finish line. Parloa's Csaba Tamas tells CX Today why customer service leaders need active operators, faster feedback loops and sharper testing once agents go live, or risk letting them quietly drift from the business they serve
Nicole Willing · 2 Oct 2026
Cox Fleet’s CRM Lessons for High-Urgency Customer Service
When customers are stressed, stranded, or losing revenue, CRM has to do more than hold records. Alex Fraser, VP of Customer Operations at Cox Fleet, explains how connected data, AI, agents and service partners can turn urgent contact into coordinated action and customer advocacy.
Nicole Willing · 2 Oct 2026
HMRC Selects Salesforce for £2.4BN CRM Program as Overhaul Takes Shape
HM Revenue & Customs has chosen Salesforce over Pegasystems in a £2.4BN contract tender for its CRM program. The decade-plus agreement adds an AI-driven customer data layer to a wider transformation of the U.K. tax authority’s contact center and digital services.
Nicole Willing · 1 Oct 2026
Why AI Handoffs Are Still Failing Customers
Businesses are confident their AI-to-human handoffs preserve context, but customers tell a different story. Five9's Matt Ladley explains why transfers still break down, what a seamless handoff should look like, and how orchestration keeps AI and human agents working as one
Nicole Willing · 1 Oct 2026
As Contact Center AI Grows, Payment Data Needs Boundaries
AI is changing contact center operations, from summaries and analytics to bots and agent assist, but payment data needs firm boundaries before it reaches those workflows. De-scoping PCI data early is the simplest way to keep compliance firmly under control
Nicole Willing · 30 Sept 2026
Five Steps to Audit the Hidden AI Already Inside Your Contact Center
Most AI risk never looks like AI - it's already embedded in the contact centre tools agents use daily. TTEC Digital's Amit Namjoshi outlines five steps CX leaders can take to uncover hidden AI, classify its risk, assign ownership and build lasting governance
Nicole Willing · 29 Sept 2026
From Notifications to Revenue Drivers: Turning Support Channels into Growth Engines
Customer messaging still serves a narrow purpose for many enterprises. It delivers appointment reminders, shipping updates, payment confirmations and service...
Nicole Willing · 24 Sept 2026
Why Claudeforce Indicates CRM Complexity Is Breaking Customer Experience
UJET CEO Vasili Triant explains why bolting AI onto CRM and ticketing stacks may add complexity instead of improving customer experience.
Nicole Willing · 23 Sept 2026
Five Signs Your Payment Journey Is Losing Customers
Contact centers invest heavily in guiding customers to a buying decision, then leave them alone at the payment step. SequenceShift's Dmitri Muntean and Dan Bloy explain the warning signs that disconnected payment journeys are causing abandonment and lost revenue, and how to fix them
Nicole Willing · 22 Sept 2026
The EU AI Act Is a CX Problem Now
The EU AI Act , which came into effect on August 2, can seem like a legal or compliance issue, best handled by specialist teams or the people developing AI m...
Nicole Willing · 22 Sept 2026
The Weakest Security Link in Customer Data May Be Hiding Outside the CRM
Manchester Airport cyberattack shows how fragmented customer data can create security gaps, complicate breach response and undermine AI.
Nicole Willing · 22 Sept 2026
Contextual Messaging is the New CX Gold Standard, MMDSmart Explains
Nicole Willing speaks with Karen Krivaa, Chief Marketing Officer at MMDSmart , about why so many businesses are still struggling to turn omnichannel ambiti...
Nicole Willing · 17 Sept 2026
Cybersecurity Roundup: Who Controls the Data, Identity and AI Agents Is the New Battleground
AI agents, cloud identity tokens and data sovereignty concerns are reshaping cybersecurity as enterprises race to regain control.
Nicole Willing · 16 Sept 2026
How Customer Experience Platforms Are Becoming AI Orchestrators
The language around customer data is changing, with customer data platforms (CDPs) being positioned as foundations for AI-native operations, real-time decisi...
Nicole Willing · 16 Sept 2026
Hidden AI in the Contact Center: What the EU AI Act Means for CX Leaders
In this CX Today interview, Technology Journalist Nicole Willing speaks with Amit Namjoshi, Executive Director of Technology Consulting at TTEC Digital , abo...
Nicole Willing · 15 Sept 2026
CRM's Next Challenge Is Making Customer Context Useful to AI Agents
PwC leaders explain how AI agents, connected data, and intelligent enterprise models are reshaping the future of CRM modernization.
Nicole Willing · 14 Sept 2026
The Next CX Security Risk May Be the AI Agent You Gave Access
AI agents are gaining access to enterprise systems. Anthropic, Concentrix, Zscaler and Proofpoint reveal the emerging CX security risks.
Nicole Willing · 10 Sept 2026
Customer Context Becomes CRM’s Next Competitive Battleground
Vendors are competing to make fragmented customer data useful, as AI agents increase demand for trusted, actionable customer context in CRM.
Nicole Willing · 9 Sept 2026
5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy an AI-Ready Customer Data Platform
The appeal of an “AI-ready customer data platform” is easy to understand. Organizations want more joined-up customer journeys, faster service, better recomme...
Nicole Willing · 9 Sept 2026
The 57% Problem: Why Omnichannel Strategy is Stalling in 2026
Omnichannel customer communication has become one of the defining priorities for organizations looking to improve customer experience, increase operational e...
Nicole Willing · 8 Sept 2026
HPE Says AI-Powered Networks Can Stop CX Failures Before They Start
HPE highlights how AI-native networking, infrastructure performance and resilience could increasingly shape customer experience.
Nicole Willing · 3 Sept 2026
Anthropic Drops Data Retention Requirement for Mythos and Fable 5.1 After Enterprise Pushback
Anthropic is adopting ZDR for Mythos and Fable 5.1 after enterprise feedback, intensifying the frontier AI data protection race with OpenAI.
Nicole Willing · 2 Sept 2026
CrowdStrike’s AI Security Push Puts Enterprise CX on Alert
CrowdStrike’s Fal.Con announcements show why AI agent security, verified identity and data protection are now vital to enterprise CX.
Nicole Willing · 1 Sept 2026
Where Does the CDP Fit in an Agentic AI Strategy?
In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing speaks with Richard Manthorpe, Director of Product Management at Content Guru , about the changing role of custome...
Nicole Willing · 1 Sept 2026
The Gap Between AI Promise and CX Value
Anshuman Singh, Chief Executive Officer at HGS Europe, explains why AI pilots in CX stall and how AI will reshape customer experience roles.
Nicole Willing · 31 Aug 2026
CrowdStrike, Okta Warn AI Is Turning Cybersecurity Into an Enterprise Imperative Following "Mythos Moment"
CrowdStrike and Okta say AI agents are expanding enterprise risk following the "Mythos moment," making cybersecurity crucial to AI adoption.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
8.7 Million Customers Exposed in Manchester Airport Cyberattack
Manchester Airports Group says data linked to 8.7 million customers was breached, raising the threat of phishing and identity theft.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
Salesforce’s Claudeforce Deal With Anthropic Points to What Comes After the CRM UI
Salesforce and Anthropic launch Claudeforce, bringing Salesforce data and workflows into Claude as CRM moves beyond the traditional UI.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
Marc Benioff Maintains "There is No SaaSpocalypse" as Salesforce Argues AI Models Need Software
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff rejects the SaaSpocalypse narrative, arguing enterprises will consume AI through the software they already use.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
Google’s $10MN Spirit Deal Reveals AI Is Putting a Price on Enterprise and Customer Data
Google’s $10M Spirit data deal highlights an emerging market for enterprise data as AI companies seek operational and customer information.
Nicole Willing · 26 Aug 2026
Google’s Spirit Data Deal Raises $10MN Question: Should AI Developers Be Allowed to Buy Enterprise Data for Training?
Google’s $10MN bid for Spirit Airlines data raises questions over privacy and the use of enterprise records for AI training.
Nicole Willing · 25 Aug 2026
ServiceNow On Why U.K. AI Maturity Lags Soaring Spend
ServiceNow’s Adam Spearing explains why U.K. AI investment is rising faster than maturity, and how leaders can govern AI safely at scale.
Nicole Willing · 25 Aug 2026
OpenAI's Push on Regulation Could Change How CX Teams Buy and Govern AI
OpenAI's and Anthropic's approach to AI regulation could reshape CX technology procurement, including vendor risk assessments.
Nicole Willing · 24 Aug 2026
AI Complexity Could Become a CX Problem for U.K. Businesses, Research Shows
Freshworks research finds UK IT teams are losing time and AI budget to complexity, and CX teams could feel the impact.
Nicole Willing · 21 Aug 2026
OpenAI Wants Enterprises to Trust Its Frontier Models With Sensitive Customer Data
OpenAI is previewing Private Safety Processing, allowing enterprise customers to use Zero Data Retention to protect sensitive information.
Nicole Willing · 20 Aug 2026