It’s a busy week with Black Friday and Cyber Monday upon us, so we’re bringing you a streamlined roundup a day early so you can stay ahead before the start of the holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
- Hope + the whole CX Insights team
Top Headlines
Qualtrics: Use AI to empower human CX agents
AI adoption is soaring, but the 2026 Qualtrics CX Trends Report shows AI customer support is falling short—nearly 1 in 5 consumers say it delivers no benefit. Survey fatigue is rising, customers are prioritizing value over price, and trust in data use is shaky.
The head of thought leadership at Qualtrics and report author says this is from brands using AI to cut costs, and customers can tell. Instead, Zdatny recommends automating simpler queries and providing reps with AI “to arm human agents with complete history, predicted needs, and suggested solutions for complex issues.”
Kustomer’s AI-native CRM and customer support tool does just that - check out the latest version of Kustomer AI for Reps that takes advantage of LLM performance improvements and is resulting in 40% faster speed to resolution. Teams using the latest version of Kustomer AI have seen CSAT scores jump up 23 percentage points - so it’s a win for your customers and your frontline team members.
Amazon to invest $50 billion to expand AI for US government agencies
AWS is investing up to $50B to build the first AI-optimized, high-security supercomputing infrastructure for the U.S. government. The goal is to unlock faster insights, smarter decision-making, and more efficient workflows. The Information reports it is the “the largest investment any major cloud provider has announced specifically for government cloud AI.”
For CX leaders, it’s a glimpse of how AI-accelerated data processing can turn weeks of analysis into minutes, empowering teams to resolve issues faster, predict needs, and deliver more proactive, personalized service.
Why reliability > speed in last-mile delivery
Speed isn’t everything, anymore. Consumer preference has shifted to reliability when it comes to package delivery. Predictability means your customers know when their packages are arriving - so they can get them promptly and not worry about them sitting out at risk of theft. Explore shipping options that allow for locker pick-up for extra reliability where that’s an option.
No matter what logistics and delivery options are available, communication matters. Customers don’t want to feel like their packages are in limbo. Proactive communication will settle your customers’ worries and mitigate a stream of WISMO conversations.
USPS pilots customer experience enhancement program
Your next mailing experience may be better. The USPS has completed its Customer Experience Vision Activation 90-day pilot program at four sorting and delivering stations across the country. The program is focused on delivering top tier customer service via package delivery, reduced wait times within Post Office locations, and better answers when customers call in with questions.
The stationmasters for the sorting centers met with their employees daily and had weekly calls to share tips about what was working, including feedback that front line postal delivery workers shared. It was a collaborative effort focused on the end customer.
This model can work for CX leaders that are trying to boost performance across multiple locations. Turn it into a collective effort and let your teams learn from one another, and surface insights from frontline team members. Sharing information in this way is a low-lift way to improve the quality and consistency of your customer experience.
Tune In
Join Kustomer VP of Product Rachel Hughes and Kate Shelest for “Fix This Flow” a live conversation about the real challenge inside support. Rachel and Kate will discuss keeping communication clear when multiple people jump into the same case, while still automating predictable work that keeps your team moving.
They’ll cover:
- Why email threads fall apart the moment contractors and managers get involved
- How a conversation-based model keeps everyone in one place (and nothing gets lost)
- What should be automated and what absolutely shouldn’t
- The role of ownership when cases escalate to property managers or legal
It’s happening on Friday, December 5th at 9 AM PT / Noon ET on LinkedIn Live.
