Consumer scepticism over AI poses new trust challenge for brands
Rising consumer scepticism around artificial intelligence is creating a new trust challenge for customer experience leaders, as brands accelerate adoption of generative AI across customer interactions. Research from Gartner finds that 50% of consumers would prefer to do business with brands that do not use generative AI in customer-facing content, highlighting a growing tension between innovation and […]
Research highlights ‘Experience Divide’ as consumers abandon disconnected brands
UK brand leaders are being urged to address a growing ‘Experience Divide’, as new research reveals a stark mismatch between customer expectations and business perceptions. According to SAP Engagement Cloud’s 2026 Engagement Index, 82% of UK consumers are frustrated by disjointed interactions—such as repeating information or being passed between teams: yet 80% of businesses believe […]
Usage of agentic AI for customer interactions to surge
Sixty per cent of brands will use agentic AI to facilitate streamlined one-to-one interactions with customers by 2028, shifting traditional channel-based approaches and ushering in a new era of personalised, autonomous engagement. That’s according to boffins at Gartner, which states that these AI agents will act as persistent digital concierges, seamlessly spanning marketing, sales and […]
Designing for Everyone: A guide to the inclusive design principles
By Henny Swan, Director at TetraLogical Nearly a decade after their publication in 2016, the Inclusive Design Principles (IDP) remain one of the most enduring frameworks in digital accessibility. They were created to bridge an important gap that still exists today, between meeting technical accessibility requirements and creating digital experiences that truly include people of all disabilities. […]
Research highlights value of ‘observability’ as part of customer experience
Cisco’s ‘Splunk’ State of Observability 2025: The Rise of a Business Catalyst report highlights the critical role observability plays in delivering business value – from elevating customer experience and boosting employee productivity to guiding strategic business decisions at the highest levels. It also underscores both the opportunities and challenges of observability in the AI era, where AI is helping ITOps and […]
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Genesys Cloud by Kerv
Recognised as a Gartner® Magic Quadrant leader ten years running, Genesys Cloud is the go-to CX solution for organisations in 100-plus countries. Yet, creating a high-performing contact centre takes more than simply brilliant technology. It requires a partner who understands how to get the best out of it. One that always has your back, responds […]
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Premier CX
With 59 million people in the UK now using WhatsApp, businesses are capitalising on its widespread adoption to enhance customer service and establish it as a key communication channel. The numbers speak for themselves, contact centres that have implemented WhatsApp report cost reductions of up to 35% and agent productivity improvements of up to 54%. But simply […]
Looking for a new CX delivery Destination and Partner; Merchants looks forward to meeting you
Merchants is an award-winning customer management partner specialising in business process outsourcing (BPO). Based in a leading BPO destination in South Africa, our mission is to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Our core belief is simple: “People Matter.” We put our people, communities, clients, and partners at the forefront of everything we do. At Merchants, we […]
Looking for a new Customer Experience delivery Destination and Partner? Merchants look forward to meeting you at the Contact Centre and Customer Services Summit
Why choose South Africa? Superior CX Capability – 18% better CX quality when compared to competitor offshore markets Cost Beneficial Region of Delivery – 55% – 65% more cost efficient than source markets Preferential Accent and Customer Engagement – Buyers choose the South African accent compared to other low-cost destinations Why choose Merchants? Merchants is one of the leading Customer […]
75% of consumers prefer talking to actual humans for customer service
New research has highlighted the continued importance of the human touch in CX, with three quarters of punters preferring to to a real human in-person or over the phone for customer support – which may indicate brands need to improve online customer support. The research from Five9 suggests that as upcoming events like holiday shopping […]