In a recent networking group, customer experience professionals were asked to reflect on their own expectations as customers and how these compare with the expectations of the customers they serve. The themes that came back were consistent. They show what people really value in service interactions, and where organisations most often fall short. This article explores those insights and the practical lessons they offer for designing experiences that meet customer expectations reliably and effectively.

Frontline managers have never had more performance data, and never had less time to act on it. Signals are scattered across QA, WFM, LMS, CRM, and a growing stack of dashboards. Now AI agents are joining the workforce as a new layer to oversee, and the gap between performance insight and performance change is widening fast.

This is the action gap. Closing it is the defining challenge facing frontline leaders this year.

Join Ian Chappell, Director of Consulting, EMEA at Centrical, for a practical follow-up to The Forum's Best Practice Showcase. Ian opens with a look at why most platforms are widening the gap rather than closing it, then previews three Centrical capabilities built for the manager's job in a hybrid human-AI workforce.

Agentic AI marks a new era in enterprise automation. Unlike traditional bots or scripted workflows, Agentic AI introduces autonomous digital agents that can reason, adapt and act independently within defined boundaries. These agents are not just reactive tools; they are proactive collaborators, capable of navigating complex tasks, learning from interactions and driving measurable outcomes.

This article explores how Agentic AI is reshaping contact centres, from customer experience and service delivery to planning and operational improvement. It will also highlight broader applications across sectors.

We’re excited to invite you to something truly special.

Join Calabrio for an exclusive webinar on 20th May at 12pm, where we’ll go behind the scenes with Harrods, one of the world’s most iconic luxury brands, renowned for its uncompromising focus on customer experience and excellence.

This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from Liz Whitehouse, Harrods Analytics Analyst, as she shares an honest, practical look at what it really takes to embed analytics and drive value.

Operational leaders are under increasing pressure to improve performance, maintain service quality and demonstrate measurable impact - all while managing rising demand and increasing complexity across channels.

In this session, we’ll explore how IGLU is using Quality Management and advanced Analytics within its WEM platform to move beyond compliance reporting and towards true operational control.

Featuring practical insight from IGLU’s recent WEM journey, alongside perspectives from Calabrio and Business Systems.