Customer service stories - Page 5

Newo.ai and IONOS have launched a plug-and-play AI receptionist, promising SMEs 24/7 call handling, missed lead recovery and quick setup.

Sage has embedded its Copilot generative AI into Sage Operations to surface supply chain risks earlier and cut manual fulfilment checks.

Manhattan rolls out embedded AI agents across its Active suite, promising real-time automation and custom agent creation for retailers.

Shadow AI and shaky data foundations are undermining UK corporate AI rollouts, with leaders warning of weak controls and executive blind spots.

FourKites has created a manufacturing advisory board of senior supply chain leaders to steer its product roadmap and AI-driven logistics tools.

Five9 and Google Cloud unveil a joint AI-powered CX platform, unifying contact centre workflows and customer data across all channels.

StarHub has launched a compact fast-service store at Suntec City, targeting office workers and city shoppers seeking quicker, human-led support.

Babeltext debuts MC-ML-AI, a standard to turn multilingual, multichannel customer chats into completed bookings, transactions and cases.

Partners Life has appointed experienced insurance leader Debbie Eyre as chief operating officer, with her role to begin in February 2026.

Chargebacks surge after record online holiday sales, with USD $181 billion in returns putting retailers’ first-quarter profits at risk.

Forrester says AI will cut US jobs but stop short of apocalypse, driving 6% of losses by 2030 while reshaping millions more roles.

Google launches a Universal Commerce Protocol and Business Agent tools as it bets on AI agents to drive the next era of online shopping.

Ant backs Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol to standardise how AI agents handle shopping, payments and post-purchase support.

Nintex warns enterprise agentic AI will face a 2026 reality check, with tighter budgets, targeted use cases and tougher governance.

AI will reshape risk, trust and compliance in 2026 as firms swap hype for embedded tools, tighter controls and higher regulatory scrutiny.

SAS predicts agentic AI will run core banking by 2026, reshaping trust, fraud defences, climate risk and quantum-powered decision making.

Klaviyo forecasts 2026 surge in AI voice shopping, automated returns and connected-device purchases reshaping how consumers buy.

AI agents will reshape how shoppers discover brands, forcing retailers to rethink visibility as SaaS vendors and ad budgets come under strain.

AI is set to manage 41% of Singapore’s customer service cases by 2027, as service teams embrace “agentic” tools despite security concerns.

Zendesk warns APAC brands that rising CX expectations demand transparent, context-rich AI that resolves issues instantly or risks churn.