The contact centre is dead: Welcome to the Age of Agentic AI

For decades, customer contact centres have served as a frontline of corporate engagement, handling everything from basic enquiries to complex complaints. Traditionally, agents have relied on carefully constructed scripts to guide conversations, ensuring that each interaction adheres to company standards and ideally results in a satisfactory outcome. However, as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on a …

From safety to strategy: How Yarra Valley Water is redefining CX

Customer experience (CX) is often equated with personalisation and speed. Companies strive to collect more and more data to anticipate needs and streamline interactions. But what happens when that pursuit of convenience clashes with the fundamental need for security and safety? For Yarra Valley Water (YVW) this question is at the heart of its CX …

Customer Technology

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Driving growth from the front line – understanding the metrics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing how organisations listen to, understand, and act on customer feedback. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional, structured surveys (like NPS or CSAT scores), modern AI solutions are capable of analysing vast amounts of real-time, unstructured data. To fully grasp the success of AI, organisations must be able to understand …

Crayon IQ’s guide unveils the future of contact centres in APAC

Recently founded research and advisory firm, Crayon IQ, has released its inaugural “APAC Contact Centre CX Platforms With AI buyer’s Guide.” This report is the first independent, regional analysis to assess and rank 17 major vendors, providing a local perspective on a market often dominated by North American research. According to Audrey William, founder of …

Beyond the buzzwords – Why Australia’s CX job market demands strategic thinkers with tech smarts

The Australian Customer Experience (CX) job market is currently experiencing solid growth, with strong demand in the financial services, retail, and healthcare sectors. While competition for senior roles is high, there’s a notable need for professionals who can combine strategic thinking with hands-on technical skills and data analysis. CXFocus editor, Mark Atterby  talks to Fiona …

ANZ mid-tier banks should partner for CX Success

In 2025, elevating the customer experience is the top agenda item for Australian and New Zealand financial services institutions.Understandably so. The market is not just mature and crowded; it is being reshaped by an unprecedented wave of mergers in the customer-owned sector and intense pressure from the ‘Big Four’ and a new generation of digital …

How AI is accelerating the “Listen, Learn, Act” cycle – interview with Medallia’s Fabrice Martin

Intelligent experiences, powered by AI, are no longer a theoretical concept. They’re a tangible reality that’s transforming how businesses operate and how they connect with customers and employees. I recently spoke with Fabrice Martin about the trends reshaping customer engagement through AI and how Medallia’s roadmap is evolving to meet this trend. Mark Atterby (MA): …

Bringing the contact centre back into the business 

The shift to cloud-based Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) aimed to modernise operations. While this has introduced new front office capabilities, it has also resulted in a separation between the contact centre and other areas of the business. Customers now find themselves trapped in a front-end office optimised for speed of answering calls. Frustration …

Your contact centre is a potential goldmine – how to unlock it for 2026

Does your organisation’s contact centre provide swift, seamless service to customers whenever and however they choose to get in touch? If you’re not able to answer with a resounding ‘yes’, you’re missing a golden opportunity to build the trust and loyalty that’s become the sine qua non of every successful commercial enterprise, irrespective of the …