Frantic. There’s no better word to describe the moment you realize you’ve lost your phone. Especially if you’re among the 70% of us who have experienced nomophobia, the anxiety triggered by separation from your phone. Being without a phone is so stress-inducing, that 23% of us would rather hold a tarantula and 14% prefer swimming with sharks over being phone-free, according to a survey by Sky Mobile, a U.K. mobile network provider. Whether lost or stolen, a missing mobile means mayhem. You want to report the loss immediately, protect personal data from the bad guys, and resto ..read more

Humanizing AI was a dominant theme at last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where an estimated 93,000 attendees soaked up insights from brilliant leaders like DeepMind Founder and Google’s head of AI Demis Hassabis, along with all kinds of curious technology innovations. In a panel discussion, Hassabis acknowledged flaws in the image-generation tool of Google’s Gemini AI (previously known as Bard) and said the feature was taken offline with plans to relaunch in a few weeks. He described the image generator feature as well-intended but that it was applied “too bluntly.” Though he di ..read more

If 2023 was a year of revelation, zeal, and anything-is-possible hopes for artificial intelligence’s potential, 2024 is shaping up as a year of action. Twelve months of toe-dipping and healthy scrutiny provided the launchpad to make some real moves with AI in the contact center, according to two customer experience experts on a recent webinar. The growing role of AI in customer interactions is just one of the major 2024 CX trends examined by TTEC’s Nick Cerise, chief marketing officer, and Tom Lewis, global leader, CX consulting, analytics and AI, TTEC Digital. Cerise and Lewis joined partic ..read more

In today’s hypercompetitive market, actionable customer insight is extremely valuable currency. That’s one of the takeaways from Google Chief Strategist Neil Hoyne’s mainstage presentation at last week’s Customer Contact Week (CCW) Austin event. Hoyne’s keynote emphasized the pivotal role of data in reshaping strategic perspectives for customer contact executives, underscoring the importance of data-driven decision-making in today’s competitive landscape. “Ninety-nine percent of companies I work with celebrate the people that win… the best-in-class recognize people before tests are ever run ..read more

It’s not whether you have AI, it’s how you use it. That was the main theme at the National Retail Federation (NRF) “Big Show,” which recently brought thousands of retailers, technology companies, and customer experience experts together over four days at New York City’s Javits Center. The topic of AI was everywhere. It dominated panel discussions, powered nearly every product demo on the trade show floor, and featured in economic forecasting discussions. From legacy brands to emerging retailers, brands are embracing the benefits of AI, grappling with its challenges, and keeping customers ..read more

“You dial the number, navigate the recorded instructions. And if you’re lucky, there’s a person — a real person — at the end of the line.” That’s how “CBS News Sunday Morning” host Jane Pauley opened this week’s segment that covered how AI is impacting customer service in contact centers. Her introduction was designed to be relatable to the 5.2 million viewers tuned in to the No. 1 Sunday morning news show. To set the hook and ensure viewers didn’t switch over to another channel, a series of videos from disgruntled consumers and podcasters brought to life just how frustrating it is ..read more

This year, in the spirit of peace, unity, and the joy of giving, we are excited to share with you the results of a global creative effort. 1to1 Media and TTEC employees from around the world have come together to create our World Peace Quilt — a symbol of our collective commitment to fostering harmony in our interconnected world. Created by employee prompts and generated by AI, the quilt beautifully represents our shared values and aspirations for 2024 and beyond. Please take a moment to explore the diverse perspectives and sentiments expressed by our collaborative spirit and imagination. May ..read more

Most companies are eager to implement AI solutions to improve customer experiences, but few have the data or technology ready to go to make it happen. Those are some of the insights gleaned from TTEC Digital’s State of AI in the Contact Center research report. The research was designed to define where the CX market is when it comes to AI adoption, and what’s holding them back. A majority of respondents (56%) cited improving associate efficiency as their top goal of deploying AI, followed by improving customer satisfaction (48%), reducing costs (47%), and reducing customer effort ..read more

With so much change amid the customer experience (CX) landscape, brands are embracing great opportunities – and some challenges – as they navigate it all. CX leaders are grappling with the rapid rise of AI tools, the need to embrace digital while maintaining a human touch, growing associate burnout, and continual pressure to cut costs and demonstrate ROI wherever they can. These were just some of the topics discussed at Reuters Events’ Customer Service & Experience East 2023, a recent two-day event in Brooklyn, N.Y., where CX professionals heard from industry leaders (and each other ..read more

Customer experience leaders look for employees with emotional intelligence and empathy, traits that work great for helping customers and resolving issues. And in today’s AI-obsessed environment, empathetic human connection is a welcome differentiator for many people who don’t want to navigate an IVR or converse with a chatbot. But be warned — the more that AI and automation is used within the customer experience, the more likely your human customer-facing employees will feel stressed and experience burnout and compassion fatigue. With simpler interactions defaulting to automation, human empl ..read more