Customer Service
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Comcast touts customer service contact rates down 20% this year
As part of its efforts to simplify customer interactions, Comcast has eliminated more than 30 million service interactions so far in 2026, executives said on an earnings call.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 22, 2026 -
AT&T pursues ‘sticky and high lifetime value’ customers
The carrier is courting converged customers by “removing friction for consumers” and “constructing plans built around simplicity, transparent value, and convergence,” CEO John Stankey said.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 22, 2026 -
Customer patience for bad service is wearing thin
Keeping customers loyal doesn’t take much: respect their time, address their issues and do what you say you’ll do.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 19, 2026 -
Back to CX Basics: Why brands use BPOs for CX
Working with a business process outsourcer offers more than simply reducing the cost to serve customers — they can help build and extend a brand.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 19, 2026 -
Why customers are fed up with AI chatbots
Few things will cause a customer to immediately request — or demand — a live agent like a bot that misunderstands them.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 14, 2026 -
Why complex issues stymie AI support, and how brands can fix it
Not passing the context of a call from self-service to human typically reflects integration issues, but it might also indicate a fractured approach to handling customer service.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 13, 2026 -
Sponsored by ServiceNow
What an autonomous CRM actually looks like
The autonomous CRM coordinates and completes work, keeping people in control for when judgment and empathy are needed
Oct. 12, 2026 -
Sponsored by Zoom CX
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.
Oct. 12, 2026 -
A health insurance agency’s journey from pilot to full-time voice AI agent
The majority of eHealth’s customers call during Medicare open enrollment, but after struggling with high call volume, the company turned to voice AI agents for help.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 7, 2026 -
Customers say AI has made their service experience worse
Customers have two big complaints from their AI interactions: they can’t reach a person when they need to and they have to repeat themselves, an Alchemer survey found.
By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 2, 2026 -
How one BPO is positioning for an AI future
As AI automates more customer service interactions, BPOs like TaskUs are figuring out where people will remain in the loop.
By Matt Vartabedian • Sept. 28, 2026 -
Sponsored by ServiceNow
The CRM workflow gap holding back customer experience
Disconnected CRM creates workflow gaps; true CX requires end-to-end orchestration across systems.
Sept. 28, 2026 -
How one mortgage lender deployed voice AI agents to improve borrowers’ experience
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage is using voice AI agents so that their loan officers can spend more time on the phone with borrowers.
By Matt Vartabedian • Updated Sept. 23, 2026 -
Service quality is eroding for household appliances, electronics
As touchpoints like call centers, self-service tools and repair networks become more important to overall satisfaction, some manufacturers are struggling to keep pace.
By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 18, 2026 -
Marriott undergoes ‘organizational changes’ to Customer Engagement Centers
The company confirmed a strategic review of its Customer Engagement Centers, with changes being made to “better reflect how our guests interact with us across channels,” per a Marriott spokesperson.
By Jenna Graber • Sept. 17, 2026 -
Brands ignore customer feedback at their own peril
Brands have a wealth of customer sentiment and behavior data available to them but often can’t close the circuit between collection and action.
By Matt Vartabedian • Sept. 15, 2026 -
Most companies underuse CX data to guide automation efforts
In deciding where to automate, organizations are prioritizing internal efficiency goals over CX data about what their customers want, a CallMiner survey found.
By Matt Vartabedian • Sept. 15, 2026 -
Reliance on AI tools in decision-making can lead to risky CX business
AI assistance is only as good as the data it’s grounded on; decisions based on any single data point or disjointed systems can create unintended friction points.
By Matt Vartabedian • Sept. 14, 2026 -
Are AI-driven customer service cuts here to stay? Gartner predicts rehiring
Between AI tools that fail to deliver and leaders miscalculating the cost dynamics of AI, companies are being set up for whiplash and will likely need to rehire some of the staff they laid off.
By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 11, 2026 -
CX workforce budgets take a hit as organizations increase AI spending
However, organizations shouldn’t deploy AI to the detriment of the human agents, Gartner says. The two need to work in tandem.
By Matt Vartabedian • Sept. 10, 2026 -
Sponsored by Zoom
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.
Sept. 8, 2026 -
Where humor fits in customer service
Humor builds trust, relieves stress and creates human connections that keep customers loyal, experts say.
By Michael Brady • Sept. 3, 2026 -
Customer service AI implementations have a knowledge problem
Only about one-third of organizations retain the customer context between systems AI needs to drive true customer service resolutions, a Talkdesk survey found.
By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 31, 2026 -
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