Williams-Sonoma AI assistants drive customer engagement — and conversions

Customers who use Olive, Williams Sonoma’s AI agent, convert at three times a higher rate than those who do not.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 27, 2026

Customers still want access to a human in customer service

While half of customers say their customer service interactions are easier when companies use generative AI, 9 in 10 want the option to speak to a human, Gartner finds.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 25, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Contact Center

In this Trendline, CX Dive explores contact center technologies and strategies to improve customer experience.

By CX Dive staff

With customer service, results matter above all else

Half of consumers would be “delighted” if AI could handle their problems quickly even if it “sounded like a toaster,” a PolyAI survey found.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 24, 2026

Why Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s CFO champions CX

Experience improvements encourage “guests to come back more often, spend more often and recommend us to others,” CFO Chris Sasser said.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 19, 2026

Only one-quarter of AI customer service use cases produce ROI

Customer service teams are increasing investments in the technology even as economic value remains elusive, Gartner finds. 

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 17, 2026

Allstate preps Allie platform to drive agentic strategy, enhance customer service

Earlier this year, the company said AI was helping take customer service tasks off agents’ desks.

By Roberto Torres • Aug. 11, 2026

6 examples of how employee experience can shape CX

Frontline employees interact with customers day after day, but all too often, their experience comes as an afterthought in customer experience initiatives.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 7, 2026

McDonald’s CEO blames US traffic drop on poor execution as satisfaction dips

“Our restaurant teams were overwhelmed by too many deployments in the quarter,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said. “This impacted customer service times, and as service times went up, satisfaction scores went down.”

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 5, 2026

Restaurant gimmicks can drive initial interest but miss on long-term loyalty

Canned phrases, scripted songs and choreographed dance routines aim to boost brand consistency and memorability but risk alienating customers and employees, experts say.

By Michael Brady • Aug. 4, 2026

Tasks, not customer tiers should drive bank AI use: Deloitte

Everybody needs “to be heard, comforted, educated in times of high stress,” a Deloitte consultant said. Customers who are lower on the value scale need to receive the same excellent experience “or you're going to lose them.”

By Caitlin Mullen • July 27, 2026

How AI virtual agents are changing the resolution standard in the contact center

AI virtual agents can now resolve issues end-to-end in the contact center — not just deflect them. Here's what resolution-first AI can mean for CX leaders.

July 27, 2026

Uber cuts 10% of customer service team as it embraces AI

Uber joins a growing list of companies laying off customer service workers and pivoting to AI. What's behind it is more complicated.

By Kristen Doerer • July 23, 2026

Bank of America upgrades customer service employee tool

Generative AI capabilities added to EricaAssist will allow customer service employees to handle client inquiries more quickly, the lender said.

By Caitlin Mullen • July 23, 2026

A clear path to a live agent grows trust in AI customer service

More than half of consumers trust AI when offered a clear path to a live agent, whereas only about one-quarter trust it when no human option is available, a Five9 study found. 

By Bryan Wassel • July 22, 2026

Customer satisfaction scores rise when agents express empathy

When the stakes are high and resolution is still within reach, representatives who provide emotional validation are more likely to improve satisfaction, a Level AI analysis found.

By Kristen Doerer • July 21, 2026

Burger King reworks manager role to support guest experience

"Your Way Champion" managers will be tasked with creating a welcoming store environment, double checking orders and serving as points of contact for customer problems.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 20, 2026

How the right contact center culture can drive measurable ROI

When agents feel like they have a career, not just a job, attrition drops — and lower turnover is a clear source of ROI, Morgan & Morgan’s Angie Flury said.

By Bryan Wassel • Updated July 17, 2026

Contacting customer service is the last thing customers want to do

Handoffs are a source of friction. Nearly all consumers expect their information to be available across channels so they don’t have to repeat themselves, according to Genesys.

By Kristen Doerer • July 14, 2026

Brands miss the mark on recovery after a poor customer service interaction

Three in 10 consumers say the company took no action at all in response to their most recent poor customer service experience, a CCW Digital survey found.

By Bryan Wassel • July 14, 2026

In customer service, third-party generative AI tools are beating brand chatbots

While consumers' use of third-party generative AI tools has doubled in the past year alone, company-provided chatbot usage hasn’t statistically increased since 2022, Gartner found.

By Kristen Doerer • July 10, 2026

As AI’s role expands, the customer service labor market contracts

Job postings for customer service in the U.S. have dropped about 10% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Indeed Hiring Lab data.

By Kristen Doerer • July 8, 2026

Behind the disconnect: how CX leaders view AI projects and results

CX leaders are calling their AI projects a success, but many are hitting roadblocks. What’s the disconnect?

By Kristen Doerer • July 6, 2026

What customer service loses when it fails on accessibility for deaf customers

Deaf and hard of hearing shoppers represent $175 billion in discretionary spending. However, the customer service experience has failed to evolve to meet their needs.

By Bryan Wassel • Updated July 6, 2026

A CX culture is just marketing if there’s no buy-in, experts say

Organizations that confuse slogans for values or fail to punish bad behavior can see their CX efforts fall short, leaders said at a CCW Las Vegas panel.

By Bryan Wassel • July 1, 2026

How United responds when customer service gets complicated

“The future of service is less about us just being the answer department and more about us being the reasonable department,” United’s Bryan Stoller said at CCW Las Vegas.

By Bryan Wassel • June 25, 2026