CX Insights
CX teams redesigning work in the wake of AI
As a followup to the recent Gartner research showing that most CX leaders are expanding human customer experience agent responsibilities in the wake of AI, the next topic is how we redesign work to adjust to this new technology. While some layoffs are happening, it’s not because AI is eliminating jobs - it’s because companies want to free up money to invest in AI. The layoffs are not exclusively for CX roles either.
Our CEO, Brad Birnbaum, shared his commentary about the redesign of work in this new era - “At Kustomer, we don’t currently believe — and the models will change one day — but right now, based on the current technology, we don’t believe in a world of zero humans. We do see a world of reduced humans.”
His take? The people that learn to use AI will succeed - just like past groundbreaking technology just like the internet.
What companies can learn from their biggest fans
Customer engagement is at the bottom of a 20-year range per Gallup — despite decades of loyalty investment. HBR's Marcus Buckingham argues we've been studying the wrong group: instead of the average customer, study the most loyal ones to find what's actually driving connection.
CX leaders: when did you last have a structured conversation with your brand's most ardent advocates? Their insights may be worth more than your next survey.
Twilio's Q1 2026: Voice AI hits a 5-year high
Twilio posted 20% year-over-year revenue growth in Q1 2026 — its strongest in 19 quarters — driven by three AI use cases: self-service agents for SMBs, AI co-pilots supporting live agents, and AI-assisted inbound sales qualification. Multi-product adoption grew 29% and RCS messaging volume more than doubled quarter-over-quarter.
Voice isn't dead — it's getting smarter. The platforms that can orchestrate AI across voice, chat, and messaging are pulling ahead fast. Now is the time to audit where your channel strategy has gaps.
Maryland bans surveillance pricing in grocery stores
Governor Wes Moore signed legislation on April 28 making Maryland the first U.S. state to ban retailers from using personal data — browsing history, location — to set individualized prices at grocery stores. New Jersey, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Illinois are considering similar bans.
The line between personalization and exploitation is being redrawn by regulators, and practices that seemed like smart data use in 2022 may become legal liabilities by 2027.
Tune In
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET
Your CX ecosystem should drive retention — not just resolve issues.
On May 12, experts from Kustomer, Ordergroove, AfterShip, and Signifyd will share how modern brands connect fraud, subscriptions, post-purchase, and support into a full-lifecycle CX engine that measurably grows revenue.
AI Headlines
AI enters regulated workflows with financial crime detection- Anthropic and FIS announced AI agents that help banks investigate fraud and money laundering while keeping humans in the approval loop. Enterprise AI adoption is accelerating fastest in workflows where speed and compliance both matter.
The White House considers vetting AI models before they are released - a change from its prior noninterventionist stance, the government is now reviewing an executive order that would consider more oversight procedures.
Accenture Invests in Netomi to Accelerate Enterprise Agentic AI Adoption — Netomi secured $110M led by Accenture Ventures and Adobe Ventures, serving Delta, MetLife, the NBA, and others. Accenture's own research: 87% of customers say they're likely to avoid a brand after a single negative experience — the investment thesis behind governance-backed AI deployed at scale across regulated industries.
Samsung crosses $1 trillion valuation as AI frenzy drives historic rally - Samsung Electronics becomes the second $1 trillion stock in Asia with record first-quarter earnings thanks to the AI boom driving demand for its chips.
AI-driven customer discovery is reshaping the web - AI agents are increasingly mediating customer discovery, recommendations, and transactions online. Some brands are no longer optimizing only for humans—they’re optimizing for machine-driven customer journeys.
