Dannielle Pearson, Head of Customer Strategy & Insights at Concentrix, recently shared her perspective on the shifting landscape of customer experience (CX) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Ashton Media’s CX Retreat. She spoke to CXFocus’s Michael Gwillian about the enduring need for human skills like emotional intelligence and critical thinking. She also stressed that CX initiatives must be deeply rooted in strategic objectives and value propositions, cautioning against a narrow focus solely on immediate Return on Investment (ROI).
Michael Gwilliam (MG): Hi Danielle, thanks for taking the time out to talk to me. I like to start by asking, beyond the hype around Gen AI, what is the single most underestimated trend or foundational shift you see transforming Australian CX strategy over the next 12 to 18 months?”
Danielle Pearson (DP): I won’t offer a predictable AI trend. Instead, I see two linked trends, with one serving as the foundation for successful AI application. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the most underestimated shift in Australia will be the rapid evolution and adoption of the Unified CX Platform.
The concept of a unified CX platform—where CRM and Contact Center (CCaaS) applications exist on a single, cohesive system isn’t new. However, I believe this is about to take shape and evolve at an accelerated rate due to the compression of innovation cycles.
Technology evolution, which once took decades to mature is now happening at breakneck speed. While AI is currently a narrow technology project requiring human guidance, it’s driving monthly advancements. The use of AI is rapidly changing the unified platform landscape. I foresee AI connections minimising, and potentially even alleviating, the massive challenge of system integration. This allows the platform to finally deliver on its promise of true integration.
The reason this unified platform is critical is because it dramatically enhances business agility. Right now, most businesses operate in functional silos: Salespeople in CRM, Marketers in their tools, and Contact Center agents in their CCaaS.
By unifying these applications, the business gains a better probability of achieving true agility. Teams can work together seamlessly with the essential ingredient that is currently missing for most: a single, accurate view of the customer.
MG: Is the ‘single view of the customer’ still a realistic and primary goal for companies, or will it remain an aspirational benchmark?
DP: That’s a great question. I genuinely believe it’s achievable, and I know organisations that are successfully doing it. However, the key differentiator isn’t necessarily customer obsession or large teams of data scientists,it’s business agility. Where many organisations struggle is a lack of organisational agility. While specific functions or teams might be nimble, the overall business structure often isn’t set up to adapt quickly.
‘A single view of the customer’ is not static. You have to be continuously committed to analysing and understanding that view. This means the entire business must be able to adapt to core market trends, changes in customer behaviour, and your own evolving offerings.
MG: And do you think it’s it’s that important. Do you think we need that‘single view of the customer?
DP: To truly enter the world of personalisation, companies must first acknowledge a fundamental truth – the customer is a constantly moving target.
The problem is that as the market changes, technology evolves, and your company transforms, the customer changes right along with them. Since we are all customers at the end of the day, our own evolving expectations are proof that what worked yesterday will not satisfy tomorrow.
This evolving customer dynamic is driven by the “Uber Effect.” Customers interact with one application that provides a seamless, easy experience, but then engage with your organisation and find the process difficult. This immediate comparison creates cognitive dissonance—a silent, unconscious frustration where the customer wonders: ‘Why aren’t you as efficient? Why don’t you have your processes together?’. Their expectations are perpetually being reset by the best digital experiences available.
This leads to the second critical trend I’m passionate about – the need to elevate human interaction.When your organisation achieves that ‘single view of the customer the demands on your human staff drastically change, particularly in the age of AI.
If you have better data at your disposal, if technology platforms are easier to use, and if Gen AI is taking away the majority of the low-value administrative work, your people must deliver more human interactions. This means focusing on higher levels of emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills, and complex problem-solving abilities. The goal isn’t just efficiency; it’s using that efficiency to foster deeper human connection.
MG: That speaks to the age-old problem of CX leaders struggling to connect the seemingly soft or emotional customer data with hard financial results. What framework or methodology can CX leaders do to bridge that gap?
DP: This challenge brings us right back to where we started: there is no quick fix—it’s entirely about getting the foundations right. If I were mapping this out, the foundational steps would be about achieving crucial organisational alignment.
The first critical step is ensuring executive buy-in, which, unfortunately, doesn’t always happen. Without leadership commitment, any efforts to bridge the gap between customer insights and financial metrics will inevitably stall. Next, you must clearly define what constitutes an insight. True insights must be shared across the whole organisation. To generate valuable insights, you need a deep, shared understanding of two things: who your customer is and who your organisation is.
MG: Last question, If you could force every CX leader to stop working on one low-value, CX initiative right now, what would that be? And what would you get them to refocus on?
DP: If I could compel every CX leader to stop one thing, it would be to eliminate the pervasive focus on the urgent in favor of the important.
This answer is deliberately high-level because it ties directly back to the need to get the foundations right. Too often, CX teams are swallowed by immediate, tactical demands—the ‘fire drills’ that feel urgent but provide minimal strategic value.
My advice to CX leaders is this: Block out time—perhaps an hour a week—to stop being tactical and start being strategic.
Ask the fundamental, important questions:
- How does this specific initiative genuinely help us achieve our strategic objectives?
- How does this effort truly align with and reinforce our value proposition?
For example, scrutinise initiatives like loyalty programs. Are you running a loyalty program because the market tells you you should, or because it directly aligns with your value proposition and demonstrably drives strategic goals?
We need a shift toward more strategic, less tactical work. Stop chasing the next bright shiny object or solving the crisis of the hour, and dedicate effort to the initiatives that build sustainable, measurable value.