What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned working in CX?

The No. 1 challenge facing CX teams right now is balancing personalized, proactive customer engagement with operational efficiency in the age of AI-driven expectations. Why? -Rising Customer Expectations -Complexity of AI Integration -Resource Constraints -Data Overload vs. Usability How should CX teams navigate this challenge? -Adopt a Customer-Centric AI Strategy: Use AI tools (like LLMs, autonomous agents, or predictive analytics) to anticipate customer needs and resolve issues proactively. Focus on AI solutions that integrate with existing systems and empower human agents rather than replacing them. -Prioritize Omnichannel Consistency: Break down silos to ensure data flows seamlessly between departments and across channels. Invest in platforms that offer unified customer profiles and consistent messaging across touchpoints. -Leverage Real-Time Insights: Develop a framework to analyze customer data in real-time for immediate decision-making. Implement Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs to understand pain points and adapt quickly. -Upskill CX Teams: Train CX teams to work with AI tools effectively. Foster cross-functional collaboration, aligning marketing, sales, and support teams to deliver cohesive customer experiences. -Measure What Matters: Define clear KPIs for CX improvements, such as CSAT, NPS, or customer effort scores, to measure success and demonstrate ROI. Regularly update metrics to reflect evolving customer expectations and business goals. -Focus on Hybrid Experiences: Combine the efficiency of AI with human empathy. For example, use AI for initial interactions but have human agents ready for complex or emotionally sensitive issues. -By embracing AI as a strategic enabler, rather than a mere operational tool, CX teams can better navigate the balance between personalized engagement and efficiency, ultimately driving loyalty and long-term success.

What’s the No. 1 challenge facing CX teams right now? And how should they navigate it?

Salesforce Dreamforce. It’s a combination of interesting content and a chance to catch up with a lot of colleagues and clients.

Which is your favorite CX event to attend and why?

In 2025 companies will focus on developing empathy-driven interactions to foster customer trust. Emotional AI will play a role, detecting customer moods and sentiments to adjust communication tones, creating experiences that feel human-centered and empathetic. Large behavior models (LBMs) will become the standard underpinning for Emotional CX. LBMs, unlike the more widely used LLMs (and variants like small and medium models, and industry specific models) are trained on human behaviors instead of text. This creates the ability for the model to recognize human behavioral cues, and accurately predict the best actions to take based on those cues and predicted behaviors.

What’s your big prediction for the future of CX?

In 2025 companies will focus on developing empathy-driven interactions to foster customer trust. Emotional AI will play a role, detecting customer moods and sentiments to adjust communication tones, creating experiences that feel human-centered and empathetic. Large behavior models (LBMs) will become the standard underpinning for Emotional CX. LBMs, unlike the more widely used LLMs (and variants like small and medium models, and industry specific models) are trained on human behaviors instead of text. This creates the ability for the model to recognize human behavioral cues, and accurately predict the best actions to take based on those cues and predicted behaviors.

How will you keep contributing to the CX community?

“I am committed to contributing to the CX community through ongoing thought leadership, collaboration, and actionable insights. Here are some specific ways I plan to continue making an impact: -Sharing Research and Insights: I’ll continue to share industry trends, best practices, and forward-thinking strategies through my research reports, blog posts, and our Digital First Newsletter. My goal is to provide valuable perspectives that CX professionals can use to drive meaningful change in their organizations. -Engaging Through Content and Events: Our podcast, Disambiguation, remains a key platform for spotlighting cutting-edge innovations in CX and featuring conversations with thought leaders. Additionally, I’ll actively participate in webinars, panels, and conferences to exchange ideas and foster connections within the community. -Mentoring and Networking: I plan to mentor up-and-coming CX professionals and create networking opportunities for knowledge-sharing and community building. I believe cultivating the next generation of CX leaders is essential to the future of the field. -Advocating for the Role of AI in CX: With the rapid advancement of AI, I aim to help organizations navigate its integration into CX strategies, ensuring technology enhances—not replaces—human-centric experiences. Ultimately, my mission is to drive innovation, collaboration, and measurable results within the CX community. By listening to the needs of CX professionals and organizations, I hope to continue offering relevant and impactful contributions that help shape the future of customer experience.”